Government & Hotel point fingers; Workers protest losing salary over ferry sand-trap

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, February 20, 2023 – After a day of protest on Wednesday, employees from Parrot Cay were left puttering off to work once again at the end of last week in a tiny uncovered white boat becoming slowly waterlogged in the early morning rain.

We saw photos of over a dozen residents waiting to be picked up and ferried across the channel.  The residents say dredging needs to be done so bigger boats can pass.

Not only is the journey dangerous with the risk of hitting sand bars heightened, but residents say it is putting their jobs in jeopardy.  The stranded ferry time cuts into their work hours, which means less take-home pay in an season burdened by historically high inflation.

Arlington Musgrove, Middle and North Caicos MP and Minister of Immigration told us it is Parrot Cay’s responsibility to take their staff to work and there was more than one option for travel.

“Parrot Cay has a responsibility to get their staff to work.  That place in Sandy Point is a private marina and so is Parrot Cay.  Parrot Cay can move their people from Belfield Landing which is a government port and it is not our responsibility to keep Parrot Cay Port or North Caicos Yacht Club marina cleared.”

It is the latest in a string of statements from the Member of Parliament, who had addressed the protestors’ concerns with responses since mid-week last week to Magnetic Media on the matter.  Minister Musgrove, who was at the time in Nassau attending the CARICOM 44th Regular Meeting of Caribbean Heads of Government on Wednesday February 15 explained the government had refused approval to dredge the channel between Parrot Cay and North Caicos.

“The passage between North Caicos and Parrot Cay has been a problem for years.  It’s a continuous dredging exercise that Parrot Cay is supposed to do in getting their staff over.  Parrot Cay did send a letter over a few weeks ago asking for permission to dredge and keep the sand.  But as you know, that’s not how our procurement process works.”

Fears for their safety on their daily sojourns to work drove North Caicos residents to take protest action – they were captured in photos and on video vocalising the dire need for “dredging to make passage safe”.

A boat was filmed in the distance, said to be stuck on a sandbar.

The Protesters, many of whom travel between North Caicos and Parrot Cay in order to get to work, say they are at risk using the shallow passage and are demanding that the Government start the dredging process to make the area appropriate for boat travel.

Musgrove said while Parrot Cat did not get permission to dredge and keep the sand their hands were not completely tied.

“In any event we gave them permission to do the emergency dredging.  This will allow my people from North and Middle Caicos to cross the channel in a safe and efficient way.”

One resident shared their own experience with the passage.

“For years many have said that the passage is too shallow for boats to pass, which I can personally contest on my own experience while traveling with friends on a boat there, unfortunately we ended up hitting a sand bay and were  stuck there until help arrived, and even then we all had to jump out of the boat to do so, luckily no one was hurt and the boat wasn’t damaged, but it could have easily happened.”

At this point, the work is stalled, with neither the Government or Parrot Cay taking on the necessary dredging.