Comments on: Minors: Possible Work Permit Closures

By: Irene

Irene — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:15:57 +0000

Yeah, I concur. I’m not in Bermuda right now, but when I were, I was under the impression a foreigner cannot be employed unless the employer proves they could not find a Bermudian to fill the position.
I don’t see this well for Bermuda, let’s not forget it lives off tourism basically. In that respect I see a problem on the long term about restricting servers and receptionists. Foreigners who do not perform, you can always fire and they become somebody else’s responsibility (the country they come from); Bermudians will become, again, Bermuda’s responsibility. I agree, the Minister should work closely with businesses in this and maybe have a gradual approach (to allow for training of locals).

By: Redman

Redman — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:43:54 +0000

Right on observer, I hear what your’e saying.

By: Legal Reasons?

Legal Reasons? — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:59:17 +0000

You forget 2 things here…

1) Nobody is entitled to home ownership in life. (Ahh, the good ol’ American dream! That is so 20 years ago!) You can still provide a decent (better nowadays if you ask me) roof for your family by renting.

2) If your partner earns similar wages, then you can certainly attain that goal.

By: Yup

Yup — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:56:20 +0000

Join the PLP and you might get special treatment.

By: Yup

Yup — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:55:39 +0000

Again,this is all electioneering..

By: Yup

Yup — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:54:57 +0000

Electioneering……!!!

By: Chardonnay

Chardonnay — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:39:24 +0000

What a load of hogwash from Minister Patrice Minors – she is a walking talking disaster. As Minister of Health she oversaw the debacle of ‘put hospital in Botanical Gardens’ and wasted hundreds of thousands (if not more) on consultants. As Minister of Tourism she oversaw (actually, didn’t see it coming) the demise of cruise ship visits. Now she says masons and secretaries are unskillled? Yah, I wanna unskilled ace boy to build my house – if he shows up to work, that is. Give me a break. Plus, who do you think pays the rents, buys the bikes and cars, groceries, etc., that keep Bermudian businesses afloat? Dat woman dunno what she’s talking about. They pay Rolfe over $100,000 a year to flap his chops while we go begging for jobs, food, a decent place to live. It’s all PLP smoke and mirrors. Don’t believe it Bermuda.

By: Unemployed

Unemployed — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:43:10 +0000

I need a job… Can u help me

By: Ok

Ok — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:31:56 +0000

A government that is supposedly empowering black people has been feeding us just enough crumbs so that we keep them in power. Why is it that when I drive around Bermuda that most postmen, garbage collectors, labourers, street sweepers, bus drivers, & public works employees are black? There is nothing wrong with these honest forms of employment, but to me there seems to be an in balance of black people working in them. As a black man I am insulted by this current government. They use this so called “black empowerment” to keep themselves in power, but yet have done very little to help the average black person. Why have they not set up programs to help educate black people so that they can strive toward careers that offer real economic empowerment? It seems they have done a great job in keeping the black man in his place, in the lower echelons on society. What makes it even worse to me, is that black people think this government is doing something for them. Are we really that dumb? We must be, because we can’t even see these frauds for who they really are.

By: Keepin' It Real.....4Real!!

Keepin' It Real.....4Real!! — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:31:01 +0000

Firstly you dummy I didnt say i was married to a filipina but i did say i will marry one because of women like you….just your choice of words tell me that you are a hater hahahah….whats wrong …does no one want to marry you ?
i dont blame them

By: Keepin' It Real.....4Real!!

Keepin' It Real.....4Real!! — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:24:25 +0000

Tommy Chong …u ought to change your name to Ding Dong or go and tske another hit off your Bong…there is not ONE sentence that you have made any contribution to the matter at hand exept the sentence where you admit to not knowing where i was going with my statement….you just opened your mouth and nothing but sh!t fell out ok ….NOW why would you worry about who marries who ?? its not YOUR Status or MONEY which is in question…so go and get the PLP construction firms to get your house built (Island Const. or Corriea Constr.) or are you already in a position eo sit back and moan about what your neighbor is doing…coz i see you commented on practically everyones post here today …you are just pokey.. also how did you get your caregiver??? AND im not talking about children …im talking about seniors ok …maybe you bath YOUR mom or assist in doing what is necessary for her which i doubt coz apparently you cant care for your own children….so you get a (portuguese) bermudian and didnt settle for someone who just needs a job DID YOU!! so stay out of peoples personal business coz that aint cool at all…YOUR talking about MY MOTHERS WELLBEING.

By: Ok

Ok — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:20:30 +0000

You act like $30 an hour is a lot of money. It’s not a bad wage, but let’s be real, you are only talking about $55,000 salary per year when you take out deductions. What house can be bought on this rock with that salary?

By: Shaking the Head

Shaking the Head — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:07:26 +0000

How ironic that the same Ministers making these sweeping generalizations about ability or skills are the same Ministers who have been shuffled around Cabinet because they have no ability or skills to work successfully at their assigned positions. Minister Minors being a classic example when she headed Tourism even though all she had as experience was as a waitress at a hotel.

By: Skeptical

Skeptical — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:39:49 +0000

@jack that was a really bizarre comment! What are you rambling on about? I had to RETURN TO WORK after staying home for 4 months with my child (three paid maternity months and one unpaid month). So to replace my love and care, as a working parent, I needed to find someone who gave that same level of care to watch my child while I was at work. You silly little man!!

By: observer

observer — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:25:07 +0000

If it wasn’t for expats we would not have an economy. Don’t you get this? take a look at the documentary called”Life and Debt.” We are doing exactly what they did, and 40 years later they still haven’t recovered. without expat businesses ans expat tourists, where will you get the money to buy food to eat? Don’t continue to bite the hand that is feeding us, because one day that hand may decide to feed someone else. Guess what it has started due to comments like these you just made.

By: observer

observer — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:15:39 +0000

I will close my business before loosing my reputation. I will not go through the frustration and headaches as I did before.I can not see myself having to charge more due to non productive time and mistakes by individuals that don’t take a job as a profession with pride. I will be a one man band, serving my customers and hiring part timers that will work by my side for larger projects.Instead of six pensions, payrole taxes, insurance, hospital levy, there would only be one.

By: observer

observer — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:00:03 +0000

A disaster!! Just look at our public roads. Years ago, it was portuguese in public works, everything was cut neat, trees on road sides trimmed and lots of flowers at botenical gardens and at the roundabouts. Now the locals have sit down mowers, they don’t need to cut many hedges due to property owners having given the responsiblilty and it is 4 times the staff. Just look around, it is not the bermuda of yester years. This summer the grass was up to our knees in some areas of the south shore. Look at the hotels, any flower beds. Look at private homes, you can almost tell where a portuguese person lives. I am sorry to say, we talk alot, but do very little work.

By: Bermudian@heart..

Bermudian@heart.. — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:51:42 +0000

fully agree 98per cent of these guys that come in and work as masons never worked as masons before dont care what anyone says its just because they are on a work permit that they show up for work every day and of course at the end of the day they will learn ..if they dont show up for work they are allways warned that they will be sent back so they have no choice but to work and dont you dare call in sick on a Monday morning or say anything about not whant to work on a Saturday ..

By: Bermudian@heart..

Bermudian@heart.. — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:42:52 +0000

Dude you need to pinch your self ,, and get real , man wake up to the FACTS..of course its about money and most of all satus..

By: PEPPER

PEPPER — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:35:25 +0000

Patrice, does not have a clue what she pretends to know about !!!

By: Boom

Boom — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:42:55 +0000

Ex-pats and rascism. It is all the PLP can come up with. They are a sad excuse for a people, who have squandered the future their fathers and mothers worked so hard to create. Pathetic, pathetic pathetic.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:08:48 +0000

Observation: anytime PLP wants votes they boost up the talk about foreigner’s and how they are gonna have them leave and keep Bermudian’s first. If you think about the last election, Dr. Brown did the same thing…foreign this and foreign that and Bermuda for Bermudians first. Yet i saw even more foreign workers since PLP has been in power than ever before!! haha can’t u see and ( yes i am 100% Bermudian) that this is what PLP does to get people on board? They know a lot of black Bermudians in particular loathe any kind of foreign worker and WE are their main target, we BLACK BERMUDIANS are who’s vote they particularly want. Well I am sorry…i refuse to be blinded by certain things. While I do agree that Bermuda should be for Bermudians…lest we forget all of the things that have gone wrong under the PLP government. Keep your eyes wide open people…do not b blinded!

By: observer

observer — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:59:40 +0000

I definately would not want you with that attitude and language taking care of my child. My wife and I have given our kids to our parents in their earlier years and we were fortunate. Unfortunately, many Bermudians do have a chip on their shoulders, start off good and then turn into very poor performers. Ones doing this work truly have to have passion for children and not do it because of the paycheck, and that is hard to find on the island. I am a midclass hardworking Bermudian that is getting disgusted with our peoples attitudes and poor work ethic.

By: Sinking feeling

Sinking feeling — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:25:46 +0000

Yes Jack jobs for the lazy Bermudians who want to get paid for a weeks salary but actually put in 10hrs of work. Yes the foreigners are coming here to work and make some $$$ to better their life and their family so what the opportunity is there for the taking. Bermudians are in every f&$$kng part of the world why you don’t want them sent back to their home, it’s ok for Bermudians to get and have opportunities but it’s not ok for other nationalities to be afforded the same. Typical selfish spoiled Bermudians

By: Gambler

Gambler — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:59:12 +0000

You just said it in a nut shell why you married your filipino you wanted a care giver you dirty low life scum bag she will dump you butt lololol

By: jack

jack — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:55:09 +0000

ALL JOBS FIRST FOR BERMUDIANS. EXPATS CLAIM THE ARE BUILDING OUR ECONOMY BUT THEY ARE DRAINING OUR ECONOMY. SUCK IT TO THEM MINORS. SEND THEM HOME!!!

By: Yup

Yup — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:51:16 +0000

Thank you PLP for screwing Bermuda in return for getting overpaid.

By: jack

jack — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:49:42 +0000

@skeptical. You should be appalled at yourself. You couldnt find a bermudian nanny suitable enough for your child. I guess your not suitable enough either to care for you own child either. Is this why you hired a nanny. ?????? A child needs a mothers love. Not a permanent babysitter or stranger.

Im appalled at this nanny BULL CRAP. There are suitable caregivers for children in bermuda. Ask people out side of your immediate circle and you shall find someone just as loving and caring.

By: No way

No way — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:48:01 +0000

Im not hiring any non qualified people no matter where they are from and government cannot tell me what today them? Go run with that.

By: pessimist x -1

pessimist x -1 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:57:18 +0000

thank you

By: pessimist x -1

pessimist x -1 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:53:45 +0000

hehe… have you been observing the roundabouts these days? january and still no winter blooms…..

By: pessimist x -1

pessimist x -1 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:46:40 +0000

oh and by the way.. can you lay pipes? build walls? because it seems to me that is not a specialist job… well… if so… we might be all be able to do it… greediness is taking something that you do not work hard for….

By: GoodIdeaBadIdea

GoodIdeaBadIdea — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:45:32 +0000

Good Idea: Showing up for work on time 5 days a week and work 8 hours a day.

Bad Idea: Calling in “sick” on Monday for 5 weeks in a row because you drank 8 dark and stormys on Sunday evening.

The End….

By: pessimist x -1

pessimist x -1 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:42:59 +0000

it is easy for you to say because you have tons of money to pay for an oh-so-qualifoed English nanny….. does it not show a lot about you too as well that you have to get somebody to care for your own child? oh for what? to work? that’s for money too right? or what? to have more time to play golf?…

Leaving them does not necessarily means neglecting them…. don’t be light on throwing stones to others….

And puhleeaaassseee…… what kind of care are you giving to your child if he/she has to get sick twice or thrice a week…. on alternate days!!!!!

I agree that Bermudians for bermuda jobs first…… but i don’t think it is fair to throw the blame on the work permit holders who are just taking the opportunity to work…. how about the bermudians working abroad…. I’m sure there’s a whole lot more americans or Englishmen to do their jobs too…. why won’t the government work on the ridiculously high cost of living and rent here so that residents wouldn’t have to complain on the low salary…

By: skeptical

skeptical — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:06:26 +0000

Then why does the NTB provide certification for the trades? I thought the government required that all electricians, masons etc be licenced and certified before they could work. Has this changed?

By: Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:32:24 +0000

The most ridiculous one I’ve seen is a waiter needed posting in the paper that said, “must have experience serving international cuisine.” So I’m wondering what’s not international cuisine codfish & potatoes? It’s obvious that this requirement was left so ambiguous to allow for the denial of any Bermudian applying. “I’m sorry sir I understand you have experience in serving french, italian, latino, chinese, jamaican & japanese cuisine but we are looking for experience in serving nauruan cuisine.”

By: Anon Ymous

Anon Ymous — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:23:22 +0000

The Government is wallowing in the aftermath of not, while times were good, investing in the vocational education and skill set of it’s people. Rather than legislate on what foreigners are allowed / not allowed to do, implement some vocational training and apprenticeships in the fields which are lacking in local labour; a few years down the road the whole ‘expats taking our jobs’ debacle is a non-issue with qualified Bermudians holding the jobs theyve trained for.

By: LOOKING

LOOKING — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:48:40 +0000

Hopefully they will look at work permits that are being held by “professional chef’s” when their main task is slicing meat in a grocery store. Please, any Bermudian can do this if only they paid the Bermudian the 16-18 an hour these guys are getting.

Waiter/Waitresses/Bartenders, Unless you have min 1-3 years experience a Bermudian is not being offered the positions. Please, do you need 3 years experience to wait on tables in a Pub. (excluding silver service) but this to can be trained.

There are a lot of businesses out there that are tailoring job descriptions to keep their expat staff employed. This is a fact and i believe most of us know it.

Wise up government, have a look into the trumped up job descriptions and get Bermudians working.

By: Onion

Onion — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:32:20 +0000

Well to be honest with you I’ve positions like this where the nanny was a maid/nanny. They would have a ridiculous amount of stuff they wanted done while she was supposed to be watching the child.

By: too bad

too bad — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:41:05 +0000

actually, the big firms are pricing better than the smaller companies right now…

By: too bad

too bad — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:39:31 +0000

I can’t speak for the other trades but top electricians in Bermuda are regularly trained practically in Bermuda and in theory overseas. It is specialised if you get to the top of the trade. Anyone can glue PVC and pull wire. Mastering the Code (NEC) and interpreting the reference specification tables is not a layperson skill.

By: Devilish gRin

Devilish gRin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:37:38 +0000

I beg to disagree of what you mentioned Tommy that women in their 20′s and 30′s are just up for BERMUDIAN’S fortune. I must admit,there is REALLY an age gap,but there is also a thing called love. And so,let’s not make it an issue.

I also believe that foreign care giver, won’t give up unless they are given the right benefits that are for them.

By: too bad

too bad — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:36:00 +0000

From my personal experience, I’ve had to fire an expat for stealing, discipline others as well for non-performance and not renew contracts for less than stellar behavior and work ethic. So should I condemn all expats in one swoop because of these bad apples? That’s effectively what you’re saying about Bermudians.

By: Jim Bean

Jim Bean — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:33:33 +0000

End term limits. It is simple – the reason they wont is because paula was a major player in the policy creation. I wonder how she was employed in IB for as long as she was!! s

By: Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:32:25 +0000

How can you say masons, carpenters, electricians & plumbers are bottom of the barrel jobs. Many of these people for years made $30 or more an hour aside from the recent third world country cheap labor employers are bringing in but that type of action has digressed us back to the 1930′s when indentured servants where brought in.

By: Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:23:17 +0000

Of course foreign masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, waiters, servers, secretaries and caregivers don’t stay home to take care of their sick child. This is because the child is back in their country with grandma, grandpa, aunty, uncle, husband or wife who goes monthly to western union to get the thousand sent to them by the parent. For caregivers this shows a lot that they are willing to neglect their child to take care of another’s for money.

By: Keepin' It Real.....4Real!!

Keepin' It Real.....4Real!! — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:21:17 +0000

lets do like Jamaica did a few weeks ago….Remove the ruling party because if we dont ,,,,we will be little Haiti by the end of the year…they cant control 100 teenagers how in the world will they control a foreign entity from calling in their debts (cry out to Britain ???) hahahahaa
What is it gonna take before YOU ALL wake up ……sighhh!! and YOU ALL know who you are…

By: Friendly Faces

Friendly Faces — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:18:24 +0000

We have a nanny for our children, but when we advertised the position also stated that we wanted someone to help with the general housekeeping – washing, ironing, cleaning. We had 2 Bermudian applicants, both of which said they WOULD NOT TAKE THE JOB as these tasks demeaned them. That’s why you need contract labour.

By: The Ridiculist

The Ridiculist — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:11:23 +0000

It’s interesting that the government is putting a stop on work permits for jobs at the bottom of the barrel for Bermudians. Do you all not see the big picture? What happen to middle class jobs where there are capable and willing Bermudians that will do the middle class job to earn a salary where they can survive. The jobs that are being closed will still have Bermudians either poor or borderline poor. This government does not have me fooled. My eyes are wide open. It’s obvious they could care less if the restaurants, or gardners close up shop. Their money compares nothing to how the international business lines the government pockets. On a separate note, they know that Bermudians will never do those jobs cause they could not survive on slave salaries.

By: Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:05:33 +0000

I’ve had my child cared for by a Bermudian of Portuguese decent (not to say someone of other decent would be unqualified) and she was wonderful at her job. She didn’t have any fancy qualifications just a cpr & first aid certification & loads of experience since her mother was childcare giver before her. Many private school teachers in Bermuda have entrusted her to care for there children. There were times for certain reasons I arrived late to pick my child up & tried to give her extra pay but she modestly would not except it. Many children she has cared for recognize her years later as their second mother because of the love she showed them. There’s many of these people existing in Bermuda & this to me is priceless.