BVI needs to define purpose of work permit exemptions — Premier
A national conversation is needed on how work permit exemptions can be properly defined in the context of the labour needs of the BVI, Premier Dr Wheatley has opined.
The Premier said the BVI was in the attitude of reform at the moment, and said one of those areas that needs reform is Labour.
“We need Labour reform and Immigration reform because of course both of them work together,” Dr Wheatley said on the Talking Territories show yesterday.
Premier Wheatley said when the BVI‘s economy expanded, it attracted many persons from many different places, who came to be added to the small population that existed.
“As it pertains to work permit exemptions, we have to truly define what we’re seeking to achieve in terms of the work permit exemption and what purpose is it seeking to serve.”
“I think if we can discover that, we can decide how we want to use it,” he continued. “But of course, permits are a way in terms of controlling the expatriate labour, but ultimately I think we want to go in the direction of developing our local labor.”
In this vein, the Premier said a conversation was needed with the business community to determine what the people were seeking to achieve in terms of the territory’s Labour and Immigration policies.
“We have to refine our Labour policies to ensure that businesses get the Labour and the expertise and the skill set that they need and at some point start transferring that skill set and that labour, having persons who are in the local economy understudy so those skills can be transferred,” the Premier stated.
But he noted that, in some instances, there will be some persons who because of their overall positive contribution to the society, “you’ll want them to become a part of your society and get some status as a part of your society”.
Dr Wheatley opined that those persons will no longer need work permits in that instance.
“So, I would say it’s a kind of very dynamic situation, a multifaceted situation, not anything you can give a very simple answer to,” the Premier reasoned.
“I believe we just have to ensure that we stay true to our principles,” the Premier continued. “And the principles we have is that we want to ensure that the persons within our society become trained and qualified to be able to participate in the economic activity in the territory and you have a process for persons who come from outside to be able to be a part of that to supplement where you’re not able to provide the labor from the inside.”
Quality workforce
In the meantime, the Premier, while conceding that there are many tensions in the workplace right now because of competing pools of labour from different places, felt that the BVI has a quality workforce in place.
“The position I would like to espouse is that we have an economy and we have a society that’s able to produce quality, a quality workforce. Of course, as I said, we have an economy [that] is really bigger than what we can provide from the inside,” the Premier said.
He further noted that the territory needed to be able to produce a quality workforce from persons that graduate from its local high schools, the local community college and persons who return from college abroad.
“But then we have to be able to help to streamline our processes to be able to assist the business community, to be able to find the labour that they need,” Dr Wheatley added.
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UK already has a plan to solve the labor and immigration problems in the BVI. Just wait until after Festival!
Yup. Can’t wait. Time to clean house at the racist immigration and labor office
There is no quality workforce amongst the Belongers. They are uneducated, lazy, racist, lazy, unskilled, lazy, nasty and have no work ethics. Only resolution bring in expat workers and replace the Belongers in Civil Servant positions that are willing to work and have a smile on their face.
Go f#*k yourself with a di**o. If you have so much negative to say about the BVI and its people then why are you here? You are more than free to leave.
Sometimes truth hurts
Wow, I may not share the same views as either of you but you as a representative of the BVI have just dragged your people’s good name through the mud with language like that in a public setting.
and who will turn up to work on time. and will not take 2 to 3 hours lunch break
Local local local right?
This country doesn’t produce anything without the international community.
If your main source of products is due to import you need to export to sustain the economy. Without the expats there is nothing to export. Or you’re telling me the locals coming from college without experience are going to train themselves? Run the financial services industry and run the tourism product.
You know what you get with poorly educated people without experience? Premiers like Wheatley.
This is just management speak, no real substance, meaningless drivel.
He’s talking about subjective approaches again. You can’t do that. It needs to be objective, where everyone is treated the same and the rules are clearly published – whatever they are.
Please fix the potholes in East End. Tired of dodging them daily!
Moving the goal posts not very sporting
Weed out the officers taking bribe to give exemption . They telling people 250.00 to speed up the process and pocket the money . There is no such laws in the constitution. Wicked officers
Charging illegals 500.00 for exemption then poof trash their records and they take off to the USVI time to stop dem unscrupulous people
Same with Immigration
Instead of work permit exemptions I would settle for a 3 year or 5 year work permit – the cost to the Government and employers is enormous in terms of the time spent dealing with renewals annual work permits. In some instances it took 4-5 months to get a renewal of a work permit. Then the renewal process has to be repeated some 6-7 months later. The 3 year to 5 year work permits would mean the Government could get more money upfront.
We have 3yr permits already in law and how much better would it have been for everyone concerned, particularly after Irma, to get those three year fees all up front?!
The pernicious xenophobia when we need a certain proportion of expat Labour if we are to have any industry and economic growth, is holding us back SO much.
Since the Hon. Mr. Wheatley last held a stakeholders’ meeting to assuage anger over the mismanagement in the Labour Dept., ZERO HAS CHANGED! And change at Labour is way, way overdue. Can we start with a new commissioner that will do the job?
Work Permit Exemption is not a status in the VI. You are still controlled by your bosses and the Labour Dept. It is a useless piece of documentation
HOW MUCH YEAR YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE BVI FOR WORK PERMIT EXEMPTION?
It was 16 but was stopped by the former minister to be at HIS discretion. So only a few who treated him nicely got it.
I’m just sitting back and smiling. What these guys have quickly realized is that it’s very easy to sit on the back bench or on the street looking in and talk talk talk about what needs to be done and how to do it. They are now in the seats and can’t get anything done, pure excuses and no movement. It will only get worst with these rookies making up Cabinet.
Well, if you want a quality work force that graduate from local schools, try fixing the schools. Almost 5 years since Irma.
I think a child how has been her since one week of age gone through basic, primary, high school and college should be an automatic candidate for a work permit exemption. I think it is inhumane to ask such person to apply for a work permit. In fact such a person should be a resident. Such a person who have gone through the school system, if we are really interested in building a local labour pool and stop clogging up the work permit/immigration system should be a Belonger.
What I thin need to happen is change the Immigration Laws to require everyone on work permits to leave after 5 years. Plain and simple.
Do not need work permit to work..
The VI failed miserable in dealing with exemptions.