On Monday November 15th 2021, truckers from across the island met collectively under what is commonly known as the Canefield Cliff to stage an awareness meeting. According to them, the gathering was not a protest but merely an avenue to have their issues and dissatisfaction voiced.
As per the truckers, the issues which are currently plaguing their lives include unemployment particularly due to presence of foreign companies who get the bulk of the jobs as well as the poor negotiation strategies employed by the government on behalf of the local truckers. Accordingly, they demand that the government intervenes to properly address their concerns and to allow local truckers to obtain as much gainful employment as foreign contractors.
Furthermore, Mr. Anton Laville, President of the Tipper Truckers Association of Dominica (TTAD), explained, “I’ll make it clear that we have nothing against any foreign companies working in Dominica. However, the problem that we have here in Dominica is that we cannot have 80% of the workforce being foreigners while the Dominican truckers are unemployed.”
According to Laville, there are three major projects currently ongoing in Dominica. These include the Bois Diable to Castle Bruce road project which is approximately 48 million US dollars, the Castle Bruce to Hatton Garden road project which is approximately 87 million US dollars being undertaken by one contractor and the Layou Valley road project, being undertaken by the same one contractor.
In addition, Everson Magloire, Treasurer of TTAD, expressed that following the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017, local truckers were hopeful that they would have been utilized given the aftermath. However, they were hardly granted opportunities to work with the foreign contractors. Therefore, there does not appear to be equality in this field of work as local truckers continue to suffer. Magloire voiced, “We are standing a continuous challenge to be gainfully employed in Dominica. We ask ourselves, why are we not considered? Where is the empathy from our government?”
While Magloire identifies the advantage of having foreign contractors, he recommends that a percentage of the jobs should be given to local truckers so that they may be able to sustain themselves, their families and by extension contribute to the country’s economy. “When men are not working, when men cannot provide for their families, it is a mental stress on them,” he stated.
Moreover, President of the TTAD, affirmed that the truckers have done everything that they were advised to do. They have written to the relevant authorities on countless occasions, have attended meetings and attempted to liaise with the foreign contractors. However, all their demands have gone unnoticed and unresolved.
Therefore, they see it fit to join collectively to allow the public to understand their plight. Even more so, the awareness meeting is with the aim of ensuring that their concerns are taken more seriously. Unless adequate steps are taken to address all underlying issues, the truckers are ready and willing to continue their stance. According to them, this is just one of the many ways to let their voices be heard and they will be heard.
