BVI News

Deadline to pay Severance to laid off employees further extended

Government has moved to extend the severance pay period for a third successive time; now until February 28, 2021.

No official statement was issued on the extension by the territory’s Labour Minister, Vincent Wheatley. However, an order was published in the government’s official gazette, and it confirms that Cabinet made the decision on February 4.

“This Order may be cited as the Labour Code (Extension of Severance Pay Period) Order, 2021 and shall come into force on the 1st day of February, 2021. The period for the payment of severance to an employee who was temporarily laid off pursuant to section 107(4) of the Labour Code, 2010 is hereby extended to the 28th day of February, 2021,” the Order read.

It continued: “This Order shall cease to apply on the 1st day of March, 2021 and thereafter, the payment of severance to an employee upon the expiration of a three-month period, as provided under section 107(2)(c) of the Labour Code, 2010 shall be reinstated.”

First extension done in June 2020

In June 2020, Minister Wheatley explained that his government was moving to extend the territory’s maximum layoff period from the usual three months to seven months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to significantly impact most businesses in the BVI.

According to law, this allows employers to lay off their staff for a time beyond the previously-allotted three months before they are allowed to disburse severance pay.

This first extension was due to expire on October 31, 2020, but following widespread pleas from business owners across the territory, the government added another three months to the lay-off period, which pushed the expiration period to January 31, 2021.

With the third extension expiry date now pushed to February 28, employees will now have to wait until that date to see whether the government issues another extension, or if they will finally have access to their severance packages. 

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10 Comments

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  1. In BG fe3 says:

    Scam

    Like 8
    Dislike 2
  2. This is beyond wickedness says:

    This is wickedness
    My boss always get it in her favor
    To this day she can’t give her employees a proper lay off letter to go immigration for time
    She don’t want to open and she don’t want to pay her staff and the premier doing nothing about because most expats is in this situation
    I hope this new government do something about it like what he did to the wicked employers in the Cayman Islands so the employers can pay ppl what is rightfully belong to them
    Then a next thing this government keep extending the the lay off period and ppl paying $25 for time everytime
    And I understand we still have to pay for 2020 work permit why the didn’t just let us pay for the permit and done instead of paying $25 for time
    But keep in mind god don’t like wicked
    My boss miss it during Irma time she won’t miss it again
    The sad part is my boss get no intentions to to open and still she dragging her feet
    She is trying to frustrate the employees so the will resign on there own so she won’t have to pay
    I hope when she die she take all the money with her

    Like 12
    Dislike 2
  3. tolian says:

    wow thats crazy un fairness vincent i lost respect for you , you only have symphathy for the employers and not the employees. some of these employers can do better, be careful how you all treat people , the bvi have plenty more shaking to go on , and you see how you all treating some of these expats dont worry sorry God will deal with you all , my God please touch some these politician mind and soul.

    Like 11
  4. WEW says:

    More abuse of the little guy while the “big guys” laugh & play

  5. Hmmm says:

    People who have jobs, telling people who don’t have jobs anymore, that they can’t get the severance pay to which they are entitled. BVI love!

  6. Joy says:

    The Government need to do something about the owners of [a Virgin Gorda] restaurant and others like them who are treating their employees like rejects. They opened the restaurant in November because they thought they would have to pay severance not expecting the government to extend the deadline they began to reduce the hours of their employees. Thinking that the deadline was January they increased the employees times now they found out the government has extended the deadline to the end of February they have closed the restaurant. Is this the way any employer should treat their employees. Some employers should put themselves in their employees place and see if they would like to be treated this way. The Government is to be blamed for this kind of behaviour I would call it abuse.

  7. Wicked ppll says:

    After … don’t like pay there workers you will expect better from him. No wonder he took that ministry to hammer people with his w*******s behavior that. Deadline extended since September last year and every time it reaches the end it always getting extended and the immigration department . Want to push person out without them getting pay no wonder. There an inquiry u all to wicked

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