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Importing truck drivers from Bangladesh, a disrespect to Guyanese – Norton
-says citizens can be trained, certified to do same
kaieteur News-On Sunday, Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton called out the government for importing truck drivers from Bangladesh, saying that it is a disrespect to Guyanese irrespective of their ethnicity.
He was addressing supporters at a party meeting at Calcutta Mahaicony. During his speech, he addressed a number of issues that citizens should keep an eye on and be aware of. “Imagine you bringing truck drivers from Bangladesh. It is the most disrespectful thing to Guyanese regardless of ethnicity. We can set up a proper driving school at least one in each region and train the people to drive, ensure that they are certified instill in them some new values that are useful and produce the drivers we need right here,” Norton stressed.
Furthermore, he is of the belief that once the institutions are set up and Guyanese properly trained and certified, the government will have no need to be importing drivers. Hence, he believes that this is a façade to prop up their support base and have the foreigners’ vote. In July of last year, the Kaieteur News reported that some 60 foreign nationals are employed in Guyana as truck drivers on the Ogle to Eccles road project, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill had announced. “We are actually importing labour; I can give you one example and it might shock you. We were left with no choice but to grant work permits for the contractor that is building the Ogle to Eccles road to bring in drivers; drivers, [and] an elementary job like drivers to drive heavy-duty equipment, trucks,” the minister pointed out then.
The minister was at the time speaking at a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Guyana’s Labour Needs, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s, Diaspora Unit which was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
“And I could assure you through the Ministry of Public Works and through their own advertising, they have been hunting to get drivers locally for those trucks, so that is just an indication of how the demand for labour is becoming,” he stated. Minister Edghill said the labour shortage has affected not only the traditional sectors of teaching and nursing but also the country’s booming infrastructure sector.
(Importing truck drivers from Bangladesh, a disrespect to Guyanese )
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