FOLLOWING an article in the Jamaica Observer on Sunday which quoted Caribbean Cement boss, Yago Castro as saying that there was a shortage of engineers and that young engineering graduates from local universities are being trained as maintenance engineers, there have been vociferous responses from workers who have been made redundant from the cement company, denying there is no shortage of engineers.

The article on Sunday reported that Yago Castro told a recent Jampro webinar that there is a notable shortage of engineers. In response, former Carib Cement workers allege that this is not true, claiming that the company has been making older engineering staff who attract higher salaries redundant and replacing them with younger hires. It was also alleged that the new administration under Castro has brought in a number of expatriates to take on roles that Jamaicans could readily occupy.

One former worker, who requested anonymity, stated that the declared shortage of engineers was fictitious, saying, “It’s just a ploy to be able to import more expatriates to add to the … lot that’s here. They’ve been doing continuous redundancy ever since they [ the new management of 2019] came through the gate… Who they didn’t muscle, threaten, was intimidated and gotten rid of… And now they’re spewing these lies in the public domain for all those who’re ignorant to the truth to lap up like hungry, salivating hounds…”

The worker was recently separated from the company.

He added, “The sad thing is that the ultimate defenders of workers’ rights and jobs in this country, the paid trade union representatives and our elected government, are the ones facilitating and consulting this continuous travesty of justice, not only at Carib Cement, but right across the professional landscape of this Jamaica, land we love.”

His statement was echoed by another worker who said that the red carpet laid out for new hires at Carib Cement soon deteriorates into frustration as only expatriates receive opportunities to work in other countries in which Cemex, the global company which bought Caribbean Cement, operates.

The Jamaica Observer reached out to the general manager, Yago Castro, about a response to the claims. On hearing them, Castro laughed, adding that they are “not true”.

He said the company has identified engineer shortages in some areas and has taken the steps to fix the problem by signing an agreement with The University of the West Indies and University of Technology, Jamaica to engage young engineer graduates for training in a Cemex campus programme. So far, 15 young men and women have been engaged in the programme.

Castro explained that they are rotated throughout the company in different areas to develop different skill sets and have shown great potential.

Meanwhile, he said the claim about replacing experienced staff with younger engineers to save money is “completely baseless”, given that the company offers attractive salary packages to employees.

When the issue of bringing in expatriates to take the jobs of locals was brought up, Castro admitted that expatriates have been brought in; though he said he could not say how many at the time, before adding that they are “temporary hires”. He added, “…98 per cent to 99 per cent of employees at Carib Cement are local. We have also been exporting Jamaican talent to other countries in the region in which Cemex operates and replacing expats with locals. The head of finance was an expat when I came here, and he has been replaced by a Jamaican.”

Attempts to secure information from the Industrial Relations Unit of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on workers made redundant at Carib Cement in the last two years and the profile of new hires were met with cautioned statements.

One official in the Industrial Relations Unit commented, “I am almost sure that this type of information which narrows down and specifies an organisation is regarded as confidential. While we can provide general information, I will have to advise myself on this one so I will tell you tomorrow, all being well. Thanks.”

Attempts to find out the number of work permits issued during the two-year period were not successful, as the respective official at the MLSS did not answer phone calls or text messages.

Vincent Morrison, head of the union for clerical and ancillary workers at Carib Cement, told the Business Observer that there was “no such thing” as older engineers being replaced by younger ones, or staff being replaced by expatriates. However, he admitted that he did not represent the engineers and that they were represented by a staff association.

He nevertheless reiterated that the allegations were “lies” as he had investigated the situation and the young people at the company were university graduates in training.

Another worker who was made redundant in 2021 told the Business Observer, “They have messed up a lot of people’s careers. Everybody that goes there gets shocked. Men who have built their jobs have been let go because they are too expensive. It’s not equitable. It’s a shame, and I think the engineers’ association should come out strong. Young engineers are cheaper but overburdened with work. It’s just contract work; they can’t even use the type of contracts provided to show a bank and borrow loans.”

The worker said, “It’s really disgusting.”

The Business Observer reached out to Gary Walters, a civil engineer at National Water Commission, member of the Professional Engineers Registration Board, and past president of the Jamaica Institute of engineers (JIE), for comments.

Walters said, “This information is just now coming to my attention. I agree that there is no shortage of engineers.” The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) as well as The University of the West Indies are the two main schools which produce engineer graduates.

He outlined, “What normally happens is that as an engineer progresses and gains requisite experience, their compensation usually increases. The discussion around making older engineers redundant and hiring younger, if this is what is occurring, is not in the best interest for Carib Cement because graduates need mentorship and training from older engineers.”

He said, “Engineering is a practice, and the more you work at it, the better you ought to become. If you have a cadre of only younger engineers, the maintenance of the facility will be jeopardised. Coming from university and to a company like Carib Cement, training would not be specific to Carib Cement, and you would have to then get familiar with the company’s best practices.”

Walters said that using young engineers mainly would be “a costly risk. You know what downtime can mean for such an industry, especially with the construction industry now gaining buoyancy. You need to have the younger ones alongside the older ones for guidance. As a cost-saving strategy it could be detrimental — spare parts run into hundreds of thousands of US dollars. It is not something that should be encouraged. There is no way you could expect a young person to be up to speed; they will take a few years to get up to speed.”

Walters outlined that young engineers have to be working for at least two years before they can secure registration, but can work under older engineers until they gather sufficient experience and can then apply. Expatriates, he said, would also need to apply for registration to work as engineers, otherwise their presence in the role of engineer would be illegal.

Walters admitted that replacing older, well-paid workers with younger workers on contract was a common cost-saving strategy in Jamaica but said that for companies like Carib Cement, it could be “a costly mistake”.