Wheatley denies being overtly penal to work permit holders
Minister for Labour & Immigration, Vincent Wheatley has denied being overtly penal to work permit holders in the territory, noting instead that he is a compassionate person.
Appearing on the Honestly Speaking radio show recently, Minister Wheatley said there has been various negative comments about his administration’s Labour and Immigration policies since their time in office.
The minister argued, that contrary to what people think, he is not making decisions based on love or hate.
He stated: “So, they say because I make this decision, I hate this group, or because I did this here, I love this group. So, when we came in and regularised about 1,500 persons, ‘oh, you only like these outsiders, that’s why you doing this’. I come now I do something to protect locals, ‘oh, you hate outsiders’, and none of them had to do with like or hate. We were sent here to work for our people.”
According to the Labour Minister, his government’s policies are implemented to empower and to help its people while showing compassion to everyone who resides in the BVI.
He agreed with the host, Claude Skelton Cline, that his government’s approach is entirely policy-driven and was being done in an attempt to correct deficiencies that were found within the system when they first entered office.
Nearly every action has unintended consequences
The minister has also been accused recently of implementing draconian measures against permit holders, particularly in his attempts to have work permit employees secure good-standing certificates which serve to ensure that their employee deductions were paid in full to various entities.
Employee deductions are required by law to be made to National Health Insurance, Social Security and Inland Revenue Departments.
But the measure was found to be rife with issues and had to be suspended after it was discovered that the practice of employers who are not paying employee deductions to the relevant departments was far more widespread than initially imagined.
“Nearly every action has unintended consequences,” Minister Wheatley said. “I think when we first envisioned this – because a lot of businesses we knew were removing the taxes from the employees’ paycheques but not paying them in. I don’t think at that time we had really considered how bad the challenge really was for businesses.”
The minister recently announced that the policy will be rolled back and said another approach will be taken instead at a later date but said there was no timeline planned for this.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
It’s obvious that you have an issue with the expat community especially those from the Caribbean.
Obviously there is a problem with the “expat community especially those from the Caribbean” because the others follow protocols. There are people from the caribbean here on work permit but do not work for the work permit holders, do not pay social security, NHI or tax, and the other work permit holders do not indulge in such behaviour. Get your acts together.
@ Elsa – You are missing Clear as Vodka’s point. There is a reason why there are laws – ENFORCE them on those who break them – its that simple. That goes for employers or employees but it should not be a selected set that are continuously being victimized whilst the other set carry on with their chest up as they wish because they have ‘privileges’. The consequences for their acts of non-compliancy is far more grievous than those that are gainfully employed elsewhere. withholding or rather stealing from your employees is serious offense – We have yet to see where these employers are brought to shame and disgrace, the same way employees are brought before the court for stealing from their employers. Your system is so flawed and one-sided but carry on. I guess that’s the BVILOVE in full effect!
They suddenly found out that those not paying on the money they had stolen from their employees were the relatives and the cronies.
Rethink.
He isn’t overtly penal to work permit holders.
He’s covertly penal to them.
Let me get this straight.
A minister “uncovers” the fact that we all knew anyway, that a lot of employers don’t pay the ss taken from the workers.
His reaction is to stop a system that exposes that fraud rather than prosecuting the guilty and protecting the workers from whom the money has been shown to have been stolen?
And we wonder why England is getting involved!
Stick to your guns Hon Wheatley, don’t soften up because the locals are counting on you to protect them.
Some business taking the taxes and not paying because of greed. Their businesses are doing well but they want more money in their pockets to frolic. Don’t let them take advantage of your compassion use wisdom.
How is he protecting locals? How many local people are struggling because of his hatred for our fellow Caribbean brothers and sisters?
Without expats here we know our country and workforce will suffer immensely.
It is fine to have unintended consequences, it is part of life.
However these should be unavoidable and unpredictable.
The simple fact is that virtually every unintended consequence of anything Wheatley and his ministry does is completely predictable, if only his team had made any effort whatsoever to take the time to think through their actions properly.
Unfortunately, once again it exposes BVI’s inherent inability to formulate a credible plan and to identify any sort of risks…
Just more incompetence driven by short-term politicking…
I will drink to that
How many employers have been criminally prosecuted for fraud for stealing their employees’s social security and NHI contributions? This impacts the whole Territory. A few custodial sentences will work wonders,
That’s the question that needs an answer. How many of these numerous employers found in breach of the NHI and SS regulations have been prosecuted? Do the authorities not realise that these are critical functions premised actuarially on persons actually paying in for them to function as intended? Where does the shortfall money come from? How will the US$40MM taken out of the system to fund the recent stimulus be replaced? Where is the financial planning? When employees are in need, medically or otherwise, the safety net their deductions are meant to fund is not there and there is nothing for them to get and nothing is being done about it. It is criminal and a clear abdication of responsibility by successive administrations which is so unfair to the working public and the society as a whole.
Prosecute my brother because he has been stealing from the down islanders?
No.
The gubment does not care about us! I lost my job a few months before the pandemic. Right at the time I was supposed to start a new job, the country was put on lock down. Thank the Lord for my other half during that lock down or else my children and I would have starved (Bless him). Eventually, I started the new job on half pay. I applied to gubment for their stimulus that they were offering at the time. They did not give me a dime, as they claimed I did not qualify. Even when I explained my situation to them they still didn’t consider what I have to say. So paying my SS, NHI and Tax right up to the point of being unemployed meant nothing!! I still about 7K in debt but I’m broke not broken. Once I got life, I’ll pay who I owe with time. But I still ain’t going wish them bad eh but hope none of these Ministers don’t ever need compassion from nobody in a time of need and don’t get it.
Mr wheatly how much EMPLOYERS have you prosecute so far? How you all will get the 7%when every one is leaving and when the bad news go out no one coming here remember what happened to the cayman island
Employers are stealing from the Government by not paying in to the underfunded NHI. Clearly the Govt values the employer with no integrity above the nation.
Lack of payment to the Social Security Board effects the long term financial security of the employee = pension or no pension.
Protecting one group does not require polarizing the Territory! It does not mean dividing the community at such a delicate time! As the Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Hon. Wheatley should ensure that indigenous Virgin Islanders or Virgin Islanders as a whole feel at home and benefit but not by hurting others. Heaven knows that as “locals” we have had it hard. We see others making it when we seem to be passed over for simple jobs. For years the common lie has been that locals don’t like to work. I hate that term, but I am happy to see that that myth is slowly being busted. At the same time, I am unhappy to see the approach that Hon. Wheatley is taking. Every move he makes, every decision he takes seems to be motivated by hate and xenophobia. My wife, is not from the BVI and my children are being raised to appreciate both their culture, so him making these decisions thinking that it pleases “locals” is delusional. The average Virgin Islander has a close tie to someone from the Caribbean, and when you do your evil deeds and they cry out it hurts us. I felt a stab hearing this man talk about that work permit exemption decision, basically you are still tying my wife to an employer that is not the best. However, I am a praying man, and I pray that God remove you soon, and force you live in the society among the people that you hurt everyday. As for the Premier who stands by and allow you to hurt people daily shame on him. However, every day the time is shortening and I call on my fellow Virgin Islanders, and our expatriate community to remember everything that Vincent has done. I will end by saying preserving employment and other things for your people does not require hatred and division, there is a better way. Now is not the time for your evil division. Now in these pandemic days kindness should prevail. I hope you find a better approach – protect but don’t polarize!
The proof is in his statements and actions. Im surprised he denies it.
The policies @ labor he advocates appears designed to make life difficult for expats.
The problem as I see it is that he is trying to fix the matter of employers not readily willing to hire locals by making it difficult for the expat hires who may be getting those jobs. Its a wrong policy.
If he has not learn yet, he needs to comprehend that he cannot force employers to hire who he likes. Employers hires those who are best for their businesses locsl or expats.
What the minister needs to do is to investigate why locals are not preferred hires for some employers and find better solutions to address the issue.
Find out what the real issues are with employers hiring expats as oppose to locals and address those rather than appearing to be overtly harsh if not discriminatory towards expats.
I agree with you. The Minister cannot make employers hire who he wants them to hire, and the more he tries the more difficult it will be for locals. I have been in the work force for a while, and I know for a fact that employers do not always hire who is best for the job or their business. There are some managers who hire depending on who you are and because of favours to others etc.
I recall a young man went to an interview driving his mother’s vehicle and the manager, who is an expat was apparently looking out for whatever reason, and asked the young man in the interview (as soon as it started) about the vehicle he was driving. He knew right away that he was not getting that job. Locals meet all sorts of obstacles when they interview, and it completely throw them off. Someone once told me that he received one application from a local for a position being advertised and he lives too far (job in Little Bay and applicant lives in West End). However, there was a work permit with Labour for a Jamaican for the job that was too far for the applicant from West End. Labour has to find a way to deal with these types of issues because employers do not submit all of the applications they receive for positions either.
This man is an expat hater, it’s being revealed now!! God is in charge
Only some expats the phillopinos are living the life .
Why are the names of the criminal employers still a mystery? The NHI, SSB and Inland Revenue know the names so please post them on their websites so the public can cease doing business with these criminal enterprises!
Is not hat is not love is disrimination against Caribbean peoples your own black people..is who don’t want to leave will stay here …
How is this protecting the locals when the locals don’t need work permits yes we all struggling but your actions are straight to the expatriates so don’t say you doing it to help the locals the work permits holders that feeling the pressure because is we that gets turn down if we don’t have good standing not the employer
Those not paying in are violation law. Is there not any enforcement of law for belongers here? Furthermore, the second class treatment of expats is why they are preferred to belongers, you can dump them without repercussions and drive them harder because of that. So the policy been shooting the fools’ feet all along. Also local education is garbage compared to down island, even.
Give the locals good education and useable skills and these problems go away.
But it needs a government who’s thinking of BVI’s future not one who’s just interested in votes.
It never ends!
As a plank. That’s his main problem.
Vincent is a wicked man and so is Andrew fahie
Ayo don’t like expats
But don’t worry there is a god
Soon very soon we will all have enough and decide to leave , they will be overjoyed no doubt until they try and get some “service” the local i am better then you attitude will not save them , they do not have the skill or the motivation to do the littlest jobs, they act like they are gods gift to humanity , they are not ( also no god or other diety’s either) i am going to laugh when this place collapses and we the ones doing the work are watching from afar in other countries
the employee was told with a cheerful smile (when) needled medical operation and went to the office
/ ,they greeted with ( AM very sorry but your employer has not been PAYING THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY or NHI in years )where was this HERO ? ? ?
Some people HATE Caribbean people so much that if one fall down on the side of the road they would ask who he or she fa if you are not one of them and they are the only one around to assist sure bet you will stay there and die. That’s the kind of impression some people give
Yall coulda ask me about Vincent before election, I woulda tell ayo he don’t like island people, and I WOULDA definitely told yall which department he was gonna grab if he gets elected !!!! Why you think he went for that Ministry !?!!!? This man DO NOT LIKE island people STARTING with my parents from days of old!!! He have a broad platform to handle, but he is HELLBENT on suffocating the expats!!! No country cannot survive without Expats, they are like bees, if bees die, we alll die, bees work HARDDD from blossom to blossom doing their work, oozing honey as a result, expats ooze money in our economy!!! They build this country up day by day, and you’re just gonna treat them like trash!?!?!?! These people put their talents to good use, BVI landers don’t know how to lay blocks, read plans, etc … we need Expats, let them live freely and comfortably. They know what they have to do, let them do it !!
1500 new votes will make the decision soon.