Meeting Held To Discuss Work Permit Policies
On Friday [Oct 12] the Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry Patrice Minors met with industry stakeholders to review the first draft of the 2012 Work Permit Policies.
The Ministry said this meeting will be followed by further consultation with the stakeholders prior to finalizing the new policies which are expected to be implemented in the coming weeks.
Present at the meeting were representatives from a cross section of industry which included ABIC, ABIR, the Trade Union Congress, the Chamber of Commerce, the Bermuda Hotel Association, the Construction Association of Bermuda, the Bermuda Human Resources Association and the Bermuda Employers Council.
Minister Minors was joined by her technical officers, Cherie Whitter, Permanent Secretary and Dr. Dawnette Ming, Acting Chief Immigration Officer.
Following Friday’s eight hour meeting, Minister Minors said, “I am pleased with the outcome of the meeting. The dialogue was productive and the group engaged in healthy discussion with regard to the way forward.
“Our overall aim is to clarify and modernise Bermuda’s work permit regime while at the same time emphasizing that Bermuda is a business-friendly jurisdiction.”
Minister Minors continued, “Any new policy needs to be focused on retaining jobs in Bermuda; stimulating job creation; and providing greater regulatory flexibility. Ultimately however it is my goal is to ensure a balance that does not disadvantage Bermudians and which supports a beneficial, profitable, business sector.”
Do I see that Muppet from the Trade Union here..
Patrice…cut the crap and simply drop the term limits….
Go back to where ever your from, because it wasn’t Bda.
Go back to Parkside… That ain’t Bermuda either!
You go back to wherever you are from – no one “came” from Bermuda!!!
Hey park side piss off and get a f&$kin life!
We could get rid of term limits tomorrow and nothing would change because there is no work for people to come here to do. Wake upople the world has changed. technology is driving that change and companies do not have to be here to benifit from the expertise here!
Hopefully the meeting was catered by KFC
Unbelievable now they are about to make changes after the I.B was going to Immigration that the work permits are not working for them. Col. Burch who was than in charge didn’t listen now the country is paying the price for not listening….
Problem is that Col Burch is once again running for a seat. Hopefully we don’t see him in charge of Immigration again.
Bermuda’s best hope, as he is running in a safe seat for the PLP, is that he wins the seat and the PLP loses the Government and he becomes an Opposition MP, where he can get a feeling for what it is like from the other side and not cause any more irreparable damage to the island. The same goes for Rolfe…
This seems to me a bit like trying to shut the stable door after the horse has already got away…
Well, Well, Well… is the PLP trying to make a change on something that should have been done 8 years ago? I think the election is coming. All that expats have just about left hellerrrr!
Anyway, I think it was better that a pic was not posted cause some of the people in the pic (I won’t mention no names) are worthless and worse than the PLP and if you are worse than the PLP that is BAD!
I read a comment the other day and it said that the ‘PLP have been deceiving Bermuda since 1998′ and I agree, do you?
SoMuchMore people leaving Bermuda, SoMuchMore crap taking place, SoMuchMore public spending. Just ‘SoMuchMore’ and thanks Tourism for the slogan cause we really know the true meaning of ‘SoMuchMore’ jejeje
The PLP need the vote. Simple
Pre election garbage.
Next week……All blacks must …..never mind.
Quo Fata Furbert……………………………….
Mr. Terry why do you have to bring color into this? Please stop it.
Beacuse you guys do it everyday, here and elsewhere.
If the shoe fits…..pretty soon there will be plenty at the dump.
Knowing the situation that Bermuda is in right now, it makes me sick to know that someone like myself who was born in Bermuda, who grew up in Bermuda, who was married in Bermuda, who had her two children in Bermuda, who is a qualified accountant (but in the end discovered she wasn’t really Bermudian, perhaps because she was not the correct colour) had to leave Bermuda and now they are looking for expats to return so there will be job creation??????? You can stuff it, Bermuda!!!!!!
Kathy,
Please do not blame your circumstances on skin colour. You can be assured that there are many black Bemudians in similar circumstances that have no choice but to remain in Bermuda.
The reality is that many Bermudaians that were properly qualified were not given appropriate opportunities to fully participate in the International Business sector.
To posters generally, please do not post about experience because there are numerous non Bermudians that come to Bermuda as newly qualified accountants and are then given opportunities for professional development in Bermuda. They subsequently go on to senior postions in IB.
Also, if you are committed to Bermuda, feel free to return when the opportunity presents itself.
Mythology.
Why wait until the first draft of the policy has been produced to invite the stakeholders? That’s guaranteed to ensure that the drafters (i.e., Ministry personal) feel like the draft is “theirs” and will resist any substantive changes.
One group of participants that seem to be missing is qualified Bermudians that experience the fallout from not being gainfully employed in IB because of discriminatory practices (not racial but generally in favour of non Bermudians).
Bulls eye!! The OBA wants all the non Bermudians to stay and take your job!
VFM, that is such nonsense. It’s a myth. Bermudians are losing opportunities as the IB sector contracts.
Why is Furbert involved in this?
What ‘stake’ has he got?
Friends and family.
Because he’s the hardest working man in show business… I mean in the plp!
I was talking about Chris Furbert. Why should he have a say in work permit policy?
He’s on the Immigration Board i think…..
Here is an IDEA allow guest workers in SPECIFIC areas in only to WORK/TRAIN a KNOWLEDGABLE BERMUDIAN and then SEND them back from WHENCE they came! WE do NOT need anymoe EXPATS OVERSTAYING they REQUIRED PERMIT – TRAIN and LEAVE no falling in lust with the WELL of BERMUDIAN only until their time is up to APPLY for RESIDENCY!! WE are all SUFFERING because some of these GREEDY EXPATS have opened BUSINESSES that DISCRIMINATE AGAINST BERMUDIANS!
TOO much GREED here many of these EXPATS have NEVER LIVED so GOOD until coming to BERMUDA!
Toot Toot.
Bermudians never lived so good until they came either! The taxes, rents, duties that they paid all contributed to our economy! Lets not forget how much they donated, and gave back to the schools, charities, sports functions etc…. Now they are leaving and what is happening to our standard of living! Wake up, be grateful, and learn to see the BIG PICTURE. If you can’t then at least keep your mouth shut and stop being part of the problem!
Wow, there’s a whole lot of ignorance there.
Every country needs foreign workers, and these shortened term limits on work permits are not allowing economic stimulation. We need foreigners to come here and immerse themselves in our communities and economy. It’s not happening for us, things need to be adjusted.
A correction must occur or we are going to continue to sink…..
The simple question is, do you want IB or not? Let’s just scratch the surface here and think about it…….IB (and their expat employees) are generally not in the business of training apprentices, why you would think that, I do not know. Secondly, IB is not allowed to operate any function which would impact local business nor are foreigners allowed to open a local business themselves (60/40 rule). With the last points in mind, IB is not making any money from Bermudians directly but in fact has revenue flowing in from outside Bermuda; this revenue is in turn ploughed into the local economy via payroll tax, work permits, drivers licences, vehicles, fuel, rent, bars, restaurants, cabs and so on and so forth. Therefore, if IB does not take food out of the mouths of Bermudians by being here but do contribute to the economy in so many other ways (including the local workforce, by driving demand for goods and services) via trickle down (regardless whether or not they create jobs for locals directly), is it or is it not worth having IB here? Obviously there have been negative negative impacts created by IB, such as the overly inflated rental / housing market but surely even this has created wealth and spending power in the economy of Bermuda via the landlords and associated industries. So, do we want it or not? Maybe the answer is academic and as some have already mentioned, that golden goose is already on it’s way to the pot!
Wow, you are on another planet buddy. Endless shop owners/restaurants telling you they are closing as no expats left, and there are too many of them. You obviously have no expat friends, because people are leaving at an alarming rate. Protectionist policies do one thing, put Bermudians out of work. Leave the capital letters and crappy spelling out too.
Train and Leave…really….pure ignorance.
only one prob;em I can see—–I wasn’t invited…where is the referendum..same people there making decisions now,…need a new breed leader..
The golden goose was killed long ago….too little too late…oh and when the Sea Venture crashed ashore they found…oh right, it was uninhabited and that means we all expats!
This should have been done years ago….. too late.
Bermuda stays afloat by foreigners coming here and spending money. Some are on ships, some stay in hotels and some stay for years and work here. Until some of the more ignorant people above realise this, we will continue sinking.
Why is Chris Furbert everywhere he shouldn’t be?
Chris is there to be seen to be there. What does he know about IB?
Chrisy Boy is there hoping to get his ‘Finger Lickin Good’ KFC! …and I don’t think I could have said it any better! lol
Makes no difference it is all too little too late
You all are not a progressive group of people. What is it that you want. Do you want the term limits or not. Never too late than never. Standing Strong for Bermudians. A government who listens.
And that’s really what you don’t like. You can’t make true predictions unless you have research which is something we don’t have enough of and only time gives you your answers.Because if we knew the answers UBP would have got it right in the first instance in finding the balance for ALL Bermudians and they would have not left some Bermudians out in the cold with minimal affordable housing options, working opportunities that were not for Bermudians and minimal educational opportunities, so that a Bermudian can contribute more to their own communities. I will never vote for OBA with such Haters for humankind.
Betty? SpecialGirl? is that you?
“A government who listens”? Isn’t this the government that said “we don’t want your opinions” when the opposition was warning about impending economic problems? “Bermuda’s different”, you said. “You’re just making mischief”, you said.
And now you’ve screwed it all up you’re suddenly interested in the opposition’s ideas.
Desperation.
Do you really think suggestions presented at this meeting were seriously taken.
Merely theatrics to appease the opposition and to deflect public critism.
Notes were probably thrown in the garbage after the meeting.
They all have an idea but none of them have a clue!