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Registered Charity No. 611
Contractors taking it to the next level By Trevor Yearwood After years of divisiveness, small contractors are finally getting their act together. They are on the verge of launching their own association, following in the wake of such professional groups as the architects and the civil engineers. The association had been talked about for years but until now was rendered impossible by the divisiveness and suspicion dominant in the sector, a factor also cultivated by some competitors. This association will represent a wide range of artisans - carpenters, plumbers, mason, electricians, painters, etc. - It will go a long way towards addressing the many problems facing the sector, including the less than wholesome public perception of these people. Barbadians have over the years become victims of a propaganda aimed at giving the impression that small contractors generally have no skills, say one thing and do something else, take short-cuts in carrying out their mandate, buy inferior materials including damaged lumber, under-pay (or just don't pay!) their employees and will run with your money if they ever get the chance. In every field there is always a minority who will break all the rules - for example politicians who will promise you everything and do nothing; lawyers who will be disbarred for one reason or the other; banking officials who will face the courts; even security personnel who will be booted out by a vigilant administration. But this is really just the edge of the coin. The majority of small contractors are honest, hard-working people who know they will not survive in an ever-sharpening competitive environment unless they produce good work and under the price charged by the Big Man. They start at a great disadvantage over the big contractors, including little or no money for advertising, insurance; equipment purchase or upgrade or to launch or keep a project rolling. The new body will do a lot more than foster cooperation among small contractors. It will lobby government to change, maintain or adopt policy in the interest of small contractors. It will also negotiate more work for small contractors with government and the private sector, as well as conduct courses and training and raise funds for the advancement of small contractors. Over the years, the small contractors of Barbados have done yeoman service, a lot of it thankless. A major problem has been an inability to speak with one voice, a powerless to coherently present their case to the public, whether it is responding to criticisms or making a case for building and repair contracts. Certain groups have been quick to point a finger whenever a small contractor is at fault for a building flaw. Yet, there are many flawed structures all over Barbados that the small contractors never had a hand in - buildings with rusting steel bars protruding through the concrete; with cracked foundations and bathroom walls; with exterior doors swinging out into the street or otherwise in the path of people; with uneven floors; and with drainage, ventilation, smell and moisture problems. What is often overlooked too is the fact that when small contractors make money, they don't just put it on the bank or sent it overseas to a secret bank account. It circulates in the economy. The small back street grocery shops, the little bars and restaurants in places such as Marhill Street, the women in Bush Hall and the Pine selling coconut bread, the village mechanic, the woman keeping a dance every six months to raise some funds to educate her children, the farmer raising 12 pigs or 300 chickens a year - all these people benefit. These contractors have the capacity to provide jobs for many skilled people - including well-diggers, electricians, plumbers, compressor-owners, weed-whackers and termite-controllers. The coming of the small contractors association is timely as we seek to be competitive in a global village. A voice for these small contractors will definitely ensure that they maintain their place and their usefulness as contributors to the society and economy of our island. Roosevelt O. King |