48 / 55
Page | 47
to work in construction is unacceptable and is a betrayal of the hard
working people of Jamaica.
16. Riverton Fire
The Riverton fire has taught us that in considering the growth strategies,
we should be careful that we don’t do things that subtract from growth,
which is what the Riverton fire will do. At last count, hundreds of Jamaicans
showed up at the health facilities with respiratory issues. Foreign investors
will think twice about investing in the Corporate Area.
So Mr Speaker, I want to ask of the government, was the Riverton fire
sabotage or gross negligence? Minister Pickersgill made a commitment to
provide the funds to correct management problems. Moving the dump
without correcting the underlying problems of management will only cause
another fire in another location. Why has the government stopped all the
measures started by the Jamaica Labour Party government to transform
the dump to a landfill?
We employed a qualified Jamaican from overseas to advise on this issue.
We divided the Riverton dump into cells; we started to cover the dump by
using marl from a UDC marl pit at Caymanas. We arranged a “swap” with
the JDF: free collection in exchange for a security post at Riverton. We
issued an RFP, selected a preferred bidder to turn the waste into a 40-60
megawatts of electricity. We had plans to install four pumps, store water
and a network of pipes & systems to spray onto the dump. Mr Speaker,
Riverton dump needs management, proper management.
17. Ramp up training at HEART/NTA and MIND to train and retrain public and
private sector workers to achieve higher levels of productivity, as well as
offer the private sector incentives for more on-the-job training programme.
We simply must fashion policies at the workplace that provide the means
by which the peoples’ productive potential can be efficiently deployed.