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‘No one will lose their jobs @ BVIEC’ - Hon Mark H. Vanterpool

- confirms Wartsila to provide training to local staff on operation of newly purchased generators
Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool today March 8, 2016 sought to put to rest fears over the hiring of an overseas company to provide temporary services relating to training of employees to run the new power plants that the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) has acquired as part of the Phase V development. Photo: VINO/File
However, when we called Minister Vanterpool, he offered a clarification, saying that nothing has been signed with the foreign company, whom he said was Wartsila, the supplier for the power generators. Photo: www.charterworld.com
However, when we called Minister Vanterpool, he offered a clarification, saying that nothing has been signed with the foreign company, whom he said was Wartsila, the supplier for the power generators. Photo: www.charterworld.com
Hon Vanterpool said BVIEC workers have nothing to worry about and that Wartsila is coming to provide training. Photo: VINO/File
Hon Vanterpool said BVIEC workers have nothing to worry about and that Wartsila is coming to provide training. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) today March 8, 2016 sought to put to rest fears over the hiring of an overseas company to provide temporary services relating to training of employees to run the new power plants that the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) has acquired as part of the Phase V development.

It was reported in another section of the local media that workers of the BVIEC were “up in arms about reports of a foreign company with an initial 11-member team to "co-operate" the Pockwood Pond Plant and that this was expected to cost Government millions.

Efforts to seek clarification from General Manager of the BVIEC Leroy A. E. Abraham proved futile.

However, when we called Minister Vanterpool, he offered a clarification, saying that nothing has been signed with the foreign company, whom he said was Wartsila, the supplier for the power generators.

“Nothing has been completed but there is a discussion with the company that has provided the generators - Wartsila. [It will entail that assisting, not running the plant but assisting the corporation by training the local operators.”

He said that the arrangement will be a temporary one until the knowledge is transferred to the local staff.

However, with regards to the amount of money the arrangement is to cost the Government, Honourable Vanterpool said such details of the contract he does not have as yet. The Minister confirmed that the management of the BVIEC has been discussing the issue with the workers.

“No one will lose their jobs. The company will be on a mission of training so that they could manage the new equipment that is coming in. So there should be no fear absolutely,” said the Minister.

Honourable Vanterpool added that while he is not sure of the timeline he does not believe that it will be very long before it is implemented. He said that the negotiations will continue between Wartsila and the management of the BVIEC over the next couple of weeks.

About Wartsila

According to research, Wartsila is a Finnish corporation which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the marine and energy markets. As of 2014 the company employed close to 18,000 workers in more than 70 countries and it is headquartered in Helsinki.

Wartsila has three main businesses; Power Plants focussing on the energy market, Ship Power focussing on the marine market and Services which is supporting both markets.

28 Responses to “‘No one will lose their jobs @ BVIEC’ - Hon Mark H. Vanterpool”

  • ccc (08/03/2016, 13:17) Like (5) Dislike (10) Reply
    Set the record stright brother Mark
  • lovers fight (08/03/2016, 13:21) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    VINO IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WILL RESCUSE NDP FROM DEM CIVIL WAR WITH BLUE SITE OR CHILDREN MELEE GONE BAD
    • John (08/03/2016, 21:36) Like (4) Dislike (1) Reply
      'lovers fight' you can't even talk to one person that could uderstand what yu sayin
  • HMMM (08/03/2016, 13:50) Like (19) Dislike (4) Reply
    I will never believe nothing MARK says. He needs to be removed.
  • Clearly (08/03/2016, 13:52) Like (30) Dislike (1) Reply
    This is yet another deal that was exposed by the media. Mark did not come out & say anything so based on his track record we can never trust nor believe him again.
  • hold on (08/03/2016, 13:57) Like (27) Dislike (0) Reply
    If this is the same man that started the Cruise Pier project at $35 million then took it to $45 million then to $51 million then promised it wouldn't pass $57 million but now come a few months later to tell us it is $82.9 million & climbing? I rest my case!
  • Building Courage (08/03/2016, 14:07) Like (18) Dislike (0) Reply
    We desperately need a “Government of Inclusion!” Who are these advisory boards that seem to be so short sighted in their vision thinking? Why do we need to hear this type of information after the facts?

    Due diligence in protocols and negotiation processes- If this corporation knew that they were intending to buy new generators from this company- “Why didn’t arrangement made to have a select group from BVIEC go to Helsinki to train and bring back their knowledge, exposure (different operational practices), and experience in which to train the others? Isn’t this much more effective, beneficial, and inexpensive than the reverse in the short and long run? Why do we hate each other so much to continually “Exclude Our People” from benefiting and getting ahead? When did we adopt this type of attitude? Why do we allow the “green god” we have come to love and trust so much to cloud our thinking and consume us?” A definite pattern of unsustainability!
    • What? (08/03/2016, 17:14) Like (2) Dislike (18) Reply

      You sound so STUPID! This is why BVI will always lag behind, we promote ignorance and stupidity every step of the way. Same people on here talking bullsh*t are the ones complaining about frequent outages and other issues. It's long overdue.

      • ta ta (08/03/2016, 22:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Just making sure.
      • Building Courage (08/03/2016, 23:58) Like (8) Dislike (1) Reply
        @What? I do apologize if I have offended you and I am as well, sympathetic to your pain. However, we must acknowledge that our issues have not just started overnight, and since we have accepted and allowed these problems to prolong without recourse, we now feel everything can quickly be “solved” by outside entities.

        In my opinion, what we are agreeing to do is to consent to yet another manufactured form of “transgenerational” servitude. But we must overcome our post-traumatic slavery disorders which seem to have been encoded into our DNA and have programmed us into believing that we are incapable of producing and competing at the highest levels anywhere we chose to. We need to learn how to pull each other up despite our differences; every other human group have already learned this lesson and are progressing everywhere they have decided to inhabit together.

        Our story has already proven that any foreign entities who are not fully vested with their hearts, souls, and monies- into our country, will bail out when things get too tough for them to maximize their shareholders’ interests, only to sell to the next highest bidder, and the cycle continues.

        It will certainly be in our best interest to learn how to “fish for ourselves” and build our workforce to produce and compete at worldwide acceptable standards.
    • BVIEC Retired (09/03/2016, 07:51) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply

      These are not the first set of machinery bought from this company. The first engines at Pockwood pond was bought from this company and they stayed after they finished and trained the staff at the power station. at that time they also left boxes of parts to service the engines. The present ma***** was the one who went and bought the second set of cheap engines. This is to say Wartsilla is no stranger to BVIEC. they train workers before they hand over their equipment. I know because I was one of those trained.

  • tretretrete (08/03/2016, 14:09) Like (23) Dislike (0) Reply
    Another back room deal being exposed now here comes the spin doctors to make us feel good about another bad NDP deal.
  • new music (08/03/2016, 14:26) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    http://www.krazyhype.com/2016/03/08/new-music-from-bvis-very-own-vibe-eye-contact/
  • affected (08/03/2016, 14:43) Like (21) Dislike (0) Reply
    Can we believe ANYTING mark says ?
  • Political Observer (08/03/2016, 14:49) Like (8) Dislike (0) Reply
    Generally, many technical procurements/acquisitions include training in the contract for 1) operation and 2) maintenance. The cost and time frame for training varies depending on the complexity and the level of training that the customer requests. This is a customary and reasonable practice. However, if the company is a back door way of pushing employees out the door they have a right to be skeptical. The employees need to be reassured by a messenger that they trust that all is above board. The wrong messenger can exacerbate the situation.

    • Building Copurage (08/03/2016, 17:14) Like (14) Dislike (0) Reply
      Our people in these public-private partnership deals also need exposure. Some of us boost about having 15, 25, 30 years of experience on the job but only truly been highly effective and productive for their initial 3-5 years, the rest years being just routine.

      Instead of constantly laying out our lavish red carpet spending for all these foreign companies (including sun, sand, and sea pleasures)- why not have our people get the exposure and experience working and training in their overseas location; thus allowing for our people to “expand” in terms of experiencing different “modes of operations,” possible practical best practices, and know-how in similar industries oversees. We can also rely on our negotiating advantages.

      Conversely, we allow our ministers to jet set around the world on our monies to do the Peoples’ business, including their own (China, etc.), so why can’t we negotiate to allow our people to benefit more from foreign industry exposure? Thus creating positive-feed-back-loops, improved productivity, efficiency and outlook for all stakeholders involve.
      • Building Courage (08/03/2016, 17:52) Like (10) Dislike (1) Reply
        Correction- Some of us "boast" about having 15, 25, 30 years of experience on the job but only truly been highly effective and productive for their initial 2-3 years, the rest years being just routine.
  • Boo (08/03/2016, 15:47) Like (14) Dislike (0) Reply
    Another big contract in the same Ministry as the Pier Park ripe for "skimming"
  • fox (08/03/2016, 16:59) Like (11) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ndp must go
  • electric harry (08/03/2016, 17:25) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    didn't know Hogwarts was into generators - thought they created electricity by magic...
  • ramong (08/03/2016, 18:55) Like (14) Dislike (1) Reply
    Take wa ever MV say with a grain of Salt Island Salt. Pepper in he mouth and it running water.
  • non sense (08/03/2016, 19:20) Like (14) Dislike (0) Reply

    Need to stop lying to the people. These people are required to provide 40 hours of training to the locals a year. Is that any training? This government is not looking out for the people.

  • Eagle Eye (09/03/2016, 01:03) Like (11) Dislike (0) Reply
    And let it be known that the manager refuse to pay for the employees at pock wood pond NHI as they work in a high resk environment.not to mention the smoke from the garbage,asphault and the cement quary.
  • sayso (09/03/2016, 05:30) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    These fellows keep going away and grouppig up with their kohoots to rape our treasury .are we going to still work with these types of generaters when we know we need a change to modern time veneration, like we did years ago with the generaters we bought that were out of production. Its time we make our leaders pay for their mismanagements. We bought road paving equipment that areno use to us but somebody got linked up with businesses and became agents.now we going back that same road again.please look before you leap. Corruption bites become bigger and bigger each time, and greed is like kemo therapy,once it begins there is no stopping until it kills thehost.
  • Building Courage (09/03/2016, 08:16) Like (10) Dislike (0) Reply
    Poor Leadership and Lack of Performance Accountability (at both the leadership and working levels) have now taken a toll in our country. These problems have not just started overnight. We (the Public) have allowed these things to happen. We paid for mediocrity without collectively demanding better. We have to do better collectively, or we all pay the price separately.
  • Buzz Bvi (09/03/2016, 09:55) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Isn't it time we started firing people for not performing?
  • Mark of the Beast (09/03/2016, 10:36) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    This man cant be trusted at all.....We can no longer take his word for it.


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