Pick-up, Truck and Plant Hirers Association walks out on high-level meeting Members of the Pick-up, Truck and Plant Hirers Association (PTPHA) on Tuesday walked out of a meeting with government officials in which they were to discuss the La Gogue dam pro |16 August 2018

Members of the Pick-up, Truck and Plant Hirers Association (PTPHA) on Tuesday walked out of a meeting with government officials in which they were to discuss the La Gogue dam project and the establishment of a national tariff for truck hirer operators.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning Maurice Loustau-Lalanne; Minister for Habitat, Lands, Infrastructure and Land Transport Pamela Charlette; Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Wallace Cosgrow; secretary of state for Finance, Trade, Investment and Economic Planning Patrick Payet; principal secretary for Land Transport Patrick Andre and chief executive of the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) Philip Morin.

During the discussions the PTPHA members were made aware of government decisions in regards to their participation in the transportation of materials to the La Gogue dam project.

It is to be reminded that the association earlier this year, in February, protested against the non-inclusion of pick-ups and trucks in the project to raise La Gogue dam which had been contracted to Sino-Hydro, a Chinese company based in Mauritius.

These local pick-ups and trucks operators were initially seeking to be included in sub-contract works in relation to this project and were fiercely opposed to the Chinese contractors bringing its own trucks into the country.

After months of negotiations and round-table discussions between stakeholders, the government finally conveyed during Tuesday’s meeting that it was prepared to pay R1200 per trip from the UCPS to Sino-Hydro’s Ile Aurore site for a local ten-tonne truck.

Additionally, the government is also willing to dish out R1000 for trips from Ile Aurore to La Gogue for smaller trucks that will carry five tonnes.

Minister Loustau-Lalanne, who revealed these details to the press, explained that these payment to local truck operators will add up to a sum of R25 million.

“This figure is R15 million more than what the Sino-Hydro cost would have added up to in the original bill of quantities. Sino-Hydro’s cost was R10 million and with this new arrangement to have the local truck drivers to participate it will now cost us R15 million more,” Minister Loustau-Lalanne said.

Moreover during the meeting with government officials, the PTPHA also learnt that their request to government to establish a national tariff for trucks and plant hirers were denied.

PTPHA’S had proposed a tariff of R285 per tonne when carrying materials in operators’ trucks and pick-ups, a proposal which government had deemed “not acceptable”.

“The government’s decision is to have no national tariff but rather to allow the market to set the rate,” the minister stated.

He further revealed that if the government would have used and applied this tariff to the transportation of materials in the La Gogue dam project, it would cost the state and taxpayers R285 million.

“And I must point out that the whole of the La Gogue dam project -- which would take 24 months to complete -- is expected to cost around R185 million, henceforth you can understand why we cannot accept this proposed national tariff.”

Minister Loustau-Lalanne said that the members of PTPHA who were present were “unhappy” about this decision “and after some initial discussions, they left the meeting”.

The minister confirmed that work on the La Gogue site is currently ongoing and that Sino-hydro is making use of its 6 trucks on the site only.

The chairman of PTPHA, Jeffery Delorie, and the association’s consultant, Giovanna Neves, were unwilling to comment on why the association decided to walk out.