PLP Calls For Delay Of New Work Permit Policy
[Updated] Shadow Minister for Immigration, Walton Brown, is today calling on Minister Michael Fahy to delay the December 1 start date for the new work permit policy.
Mr. Brown said, “We are making this call so that a number of issues can be addressed to ensure Bermudians have genuine opportunities for jobs. In its current state, this new policy will mean less employment opportunities for Bermudians in international business, the erection of a glass ceiling for Bermudians, and significantly fewer opportunities for musicians.”
“There is a great deal of concern among Bermudians in international business, as almost on a daily basis positions are being made redundant and Bermudians seem to be affected more so than permit holders. As one business executive said to me yesterday, ‘Every day I go to work I wonder if it will be my last day there. The climate is unhealthy.’”
The Shadow Minister added that in the hospitality field, there is concern that “one major chain turns its back on Bermudian talent,” saying they have a “hiring policy that has seen eminently qualified Bermudians not even make it to the interview process. This is deeply disturbing and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
“Prospective employees are being excluded for consideration by a computer test which has no right or wrong answers, does not assess skills and has the decision about proceeding to interview decided by the computer. Recently, this has meant two very qualified and experienced Bermudians were denied even the opportunity for an interview for a prominent position…”
Mr. Brown said he “reached out to Minister Fahy last week in an effort to meet and attempt to arrive at collaborative solutions that meet the needs of Bermudians and businesses. No meeting has yet been scheduled.”
We have asked the Minister’s office for a response, and will update as able.
Update: The Ministry said that Minister Fahy advised the Senate this morning that the policy was being delayed due to substantive feedback, and he will making a statement in the coming days
Stop trying to make out you are looking out for people.
Pathetic, point scoring. We can read between your lines Mr I want Independence.
Stop crying…..its over. The Bermuda economy has been in decline since 2002…..decline was masked by 911 start-ups and Katrina/Rita start-ups, all of which are now marginal entities. Economy can’t grow if Bermudians are only willing to 600 children per year!
Growth=population growth + productivity. Look it up!
The PLP should be telling their people to stay in school and get an education. Telling the govt to stop granting work permits is stupid. The PLP way of forcing people to hire people who they do not want failed us. The PLP should be encouraging people to be attentive parents and give their children the education they need. Education and a strong family unit is the foundation of success.
GREAT comment because that’s the real issue here. The large majority of this policy will over work permits for jobs that there are currently are simply not enough Bermudians qualified to fill. If someone what to come here and set up a hedge fund and want to bring in their top three guys for a couple of years until they are up and running but also hiring 50 Bermudians to support the them, so what? Isn’t Bermuda still the net winner?
All these people calling into the talk shows screaming about Bermudian jobs being given away a lot of times are listening to the station from a warehouse or are driving a truck and aren’t even the people that will be receiving these types of work permits.
I ask anyone else that owns a company how hard it is to fill a professional position. The candidates are just not out there. Wake up people.
All scaremongering.
Define “genuine opportunities”.
A mason cannot be a financial advisor except to himself and his budget.
Shalom.
Not sure about masons but I do know of one taxi driver that responded to an ad for a CFO of a major life reinsurer. He figured that because he could balance the books for the two taxis he owned that he could address the needs of a multi-billion dollar company. The fact that he didn’t even know what “GAAP” stood for didn’t bother him.
The PLP’s work permit policy caused many of us Bermudians to lose jobs.
We must undo the damage done ASAP!
hey! brown let the government do the job we elected them to do !if your thoughts or input had any weight in value you would heve being elected ! OBA move on with it we need the domino effect to get homes rented etc.if you listen to Brown that is all will see when money dries and everything else with it!
I know the PLP don’t want Bermuda to recover economically under the OBA but this is getting absurd.
Not going to happen.
Define “Not”.
Step aside PLP. We NEED more people here. It’s a fact. The more of “them” we bring in the more money there will be for everyone, INCLUDING enough to pay our debt. If we don’t service our debt and default the proverbial “do-do” will hit the fan and if you think things are bad now, wait until we are literally financially “enslaved” to the IMF or World Bank.
What does the PLP not understand about economics? More immigration • more jobs. A fact! Look at Obama’s recent moves.
Bermuda is feeling, and will continue to feel for years the effects of the PLP administration between 1998 and 2012. We are seeing a dramatic drop in employed persons and the resultant drop in tax base. No amount of Islamic Finance – remember that was touted as one of the new pillars but not mentioned now – or tourists from India – or planes flying overhead – or on line gaming – will provide the tax income to balance the budget or provide jobs let alone start to repay the $2bn debt.
Forget the “we will diversify the economy” bye election stuff. Give Bermudians the details of how the PLP will do this and how, and when, and what jobs and what wages. No chance.
So they wait till a week before it implementation to call for a delay so that they can discuss concerns about a policy that was announced months ago…
Did you just move here? ‘They’ have long voiced their concerns about this.
I understand the perspective which is being forward by the PLP but it is incorrect – either they do not understand the economic need or they are making political points. Any Bermudian facing unemployment (or indeed unemployed) is understandably anxious, but the answer is not to stop this policy. All that will do is send the jobs overseas, so not only does Bermuda lose the job, we also lose the economic impact of the job on rents etc.
The PLP answer to everything, talk, talk, talk. Delay, delay, delay.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. OBA is on the same road as the PLP…borrow and spend till the markets cut us off, crash our currency, and send the price of a loaf of bread to 14$ from the current price of 7 dollars. Airport is latest fiasco…..borrow and spend….borrow and spend….borrow and spend….until the interest costs wipe out all income from pension and overseas investments…..and the island is truly broke!
We need to re-write our constitution…..to include a clause the explicitly spells out punishments and sanctions to politicians who get things way wrong. You are up first Bob!
My understanding is that the airport work will be financed by overseas firms in exchange for the future revenues. So that in my opinion that is not borrowing and spending but I don’t claim to have read the agreement.
The PLP are going to stir this and the land grab issue for all their worth to deflect from the embarassing Marc Bean issue but more to deflect from the highly explosive and politically suicidal Port Royal golf course report. We haven’t heard a PEEP from
PLP supporters in days which is telling compared to the massive hysteria over the $.300k…..they have definitely not been having a good couple of weeks. Maybe its time for another Feed the People to buy a few more votes
This is all about the “AIRPORT”
Just “IMAGINE” the PLP/BIU could make that “OVER-RUN” to atleast
$400Million and you the people would get stuck with the “BILL” again.
Someone should leak the history, if there is in fact any, about the REAL reason those two gentleman that applied for work at a hotel and failed their on line tests. Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. NO employer would go to the hassle and expense if hiring a foreigner if an equally qualified person was available locally to fill a position. Unfortunately, usually when these situation happen, there’s a history of bad behavior that caused them to not get the job and is not systematic of hiring policies in Bermuda to quote Walton Brown. Let’s hear both sides of the truth before we jump to such general conclusions, especially over 2 cases where each failing their test.
And let us all remember it is a BIG WIDE WORLD now.
so the Golden Rule applies,he whom has the GOLD RULES.
Some people honestly think that investors and expats should be thankful and honoured that they got to come and work/invest here when the reality is that there are a lot of other, much ore attractive options for them out there and WE are the ones who should in fact, be thankful. People still don’t seem to have learned that lesson yet so obviously we aren’t that hungry yet.