Workers urged to report issues to Labour Department
Labour Minister Lorna Smith has urged employees to report their issues to the Labour Department in instances where they believe their rights are being violated.
Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Smith said labour issues were prominent among the complaints she received when she visited Virgin Gorda in her capacity as Territorial At-Large Representative recently.
But amid the complaints, Smith said she noticed a fear among workers who are facing discomfort in their workplaces.
“I would like to encourage members of the public not to be afraid to go and visit the Labour Department or to ring them up with issues,” Smith urged. “For instance, some people work in excess of 40 hours and they don’t know what their rights are. If you’re not a supervisor and you work beyond 40 hours, you should be paid overtime. People really need to call the Labour Department.”
The issue of intimidation among employees is not new in the BVI. Oftentimes, expats on work permits refrain from reporting issues as they fear they will lose their source of income and their work permits. However, some BVIslanders have also faced similar issues at their workplaces.
Smith mentioned that in the near future, she hopes to have a staff member in the Labour Department that is dedicated to addressing questions that employees across the territory may have. She said she will request funds for the new staff member when preparations for the territory’s annual budget comes around.
In the meantime, Smith urged other At-Large representatives to ensure they are doing office hours in communities across the territory. She said residents have a number of issues and welcome the opportunity to meet with elected leaders.
“I urge my At-Large colleagues to go to the sister islands and throughout the territory. The people who voted for them want to see them. Whether they are on the Opposition or the government side, the people of the BVI voted for them and they want to see them,” Smith added.
There are many who believe that Territorial-At-Large representatives do not adequately represent the views of the people once they start focusing on their duties as members of the House of Assembly.
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For people to treat other people like humans and stop the exploitation that is being used for YEARS now , and we all KNOW that it’s still happening / DO the right thing LIVE AND LET LIVE ( all the canary on the yellO site ( blondie ) can YAP about is RACISM every day like he discovered it
I will continue to say and advocate for a FEMALE LEADER. TIME FOR A MAJOR CHANGE AND A CHANGE FOR THE BEST. WOMEN ARE NATURAL LEADERS, IT IS IN THEIR DNA TO FIX THINGS.
WHO CAN I REPORT YOU TO FOR CROSSING THE FLOOR?
to involve the Labor Dept. in any dispute between employers and employees because:
1) Labor favors belonger employers and employees over all others in any dispute.
2) Labor enforces the 2010 Labour Code selectively often favoring the belonger.
3) Labor discriminates against all non-belongers.
Similar to the Customs and Immigration Departments the Labor Department main mission is to inflate the quantity of employed civil servants with needless jobs.
No, they’re not lol
Ms Smith, Labour needs revamp! a lot of those people are friends with the employers and makes it worst for employees.
Staff are not confidential in anything and needs to be held accountable
So where do employers report issues and be taken seriously? Ever wondered why the economy is in shambles? People are closing their business as the climate is far too toxic, PAY ATTENTION!!! The employee is not always right and this approach is what causes hell for employers!
That’s what causing the problems
The employers takes advantage knowing one must work 5 years in a job
They treat ppl like slaves.
are being worked without day off
Long overtime hours
Tips being taken away
Are being told they don’t pay overtime
the list goes on
They get threats eg u leave labour will send u home
Deputy Premier. Who do we report the Labour Department to for being, and having always been, wholly unfit for purpose.
Failed “initiative” after failed initiative. Zero concept of public service etc etc.
Are you REALLY going to change it?
Words, words, words. We, your people, have had enough. You are smart. You have the remit.
Why haven’t you done it already???
Agree with you 10000%. That Dispute Officer (S****K**** roots) is a waste of time. They already make up their mind, favoring the employer. So it’s best the employee keep their ‘story’ oops, I meant their complaint to themselves because nothing becomes of it anyways!
Its not Labour alone needs revamp. Social development too.
You talk about expat workers getting victimized by local employer, which is fine.
What about the local workers who are getting victimized by the UK expats? Imagine there is a particular sector of the financial services industry they are working overtime to exclude the “wrong type” of locals from, then turn around and black ball and/or snub them when they try to look for employment in another firm.
DO YOU THINK THAT ANYONE CAN REPORT ACTION MAN OR THE DOCTOR TO LABOUR DEPARTMENT?
So who are they to favor if not their own peopl? the others not from here and those that are from disadvantaged?
Where you from, the UK, US, EU, SA, AUS and those other uni-cultural human hating countries?
well I had one complain there years now and labor doing nothing. I was working and never get vacation pay got fired because they say business is slow and received no severance pay. resolve those complain in there please adding more right now will give you a back log.
Agree with you 2000%. It is time for a female to lead the Country. Tired of the men running everything. It is time for the men to step aside and let a female take over the running of the Country. I bet in the next election, a female will be elected Premier. I agree it is in the female DNA how to handle and fix problems. When a woman is sick, she still get up and handle things, A MAN HAVE A STUFFY NOSE OR A STOMACH ACHE, THEY ACT LIKE THEY ARE DYING.
you working for years with a company and hardly raise of pay and when they bring in their own new people with fake documents they start getting pay way bigger than those who is there years and have to teach the new workers the work. who will look into this. they will change up the job title to fool labor department but those people still doing different work than what their permit says.
I have quite a few persons close to me that are looking for work in their country. They were born and raised right here. One has a college degree. One is at the college studing and needs a part time job. The other needs a full time and the beat goes on and on.
I also know of many others who are looking and I see some more sitting on the side of the road, girls and boys. I know the expats are coining the phrase “BVIslanders don’t want to work.” Well, cancel some of those work permits and let us see. Because more of our people will do illegal things if a legal job is not found. I have sent lots of resumes out but not even an answer for some of them. It is terrible. Nothing wrong with you going abroad for a time to get a leg up, but once these permits are automatically renewed, but children are graduating from High School or looking for a better job up the chain and space is not being made, that’s a problem.
And also, when is Government going to start paying overtime if everybody else has to?
Labour Department I am convinced just works by rote, a rubber stamp, like actual people don’t work there.
Every Minister that goes there talks a great game, but the Labour issues in this country are getting worse and worse. Persons are here on a work permit and working for somebody else or for three other persons. Who care to check? They work all day, all night and pay taxes on one. This place is too small for the kinds of things that are happening.
The world is not ours. People can travel for a better opportunity, but the day you leave your own undone, well how is that fair? The expats love to say we birth our children in the U.S. and yes, we do some of us, but so does some of them and birth them here as well. Fairness is important. Some of us will go to America for a better opportunity, but some will stay and when they stay, they are at home. They should get an opportunity at home and, in fact, I dare say get preferential treatment. Not one of us BVIslanders can go anywhere in the Caribbean and get preferential treatment or even a job in their Civil Service, Police Force, Banks, everywhere over their citizens. Why is it happening here when there are qualified BVIslanders for some of these jobs? It won’t be all, but answer the children’s application letters. Put them in a file to revisit as and when you have a new vacancy. Make them feel that at home somebody cares. And Labour should be checking this.
Moan , Boi me a tell yah , Mom with all do respect and i very much appreciate u , but there is awhole lots of complaint already inside looks at them , yes there will be others coming , but action needs to be taken thats the bigger issue NO ACTION TAKEN its jus left to the employee to jus go home and have nightmares and have to put up with the nonsense listen fair is fair , wrong is wrong God is watching doesn’t matter who, right are wrong they have no status are colors. yes there favors commitment that can be given, all of us are human being at the of the day are work week with families and should be treated as thus
Staff a department with all women and see the complete chaos that follows. Compassion is lacking
You go girl … Too much advantage is take of non bvi people ny passport offices and Immigration. Some of them are callous, hard, calculated people who chang s the goal post to suit their likings no consistency with policies and insulting you if you try to yell them the policy when the grind you down and twist the rules
If I as an employee makes a complaint against my boss or work place and the person in the complaint Department so much as try to undermine me with the tattling back to my boss, HELL IS GOING TO DO A BACK FLIP AND BACK. I am not going to fall for the threats and INTIMIDATION BY THESE IGNORANT SET OF UGLY BUSH PEOPLE THAT IS LIVING ON THE ISLAND.
Your ugly, bush people back in your economically deprived home are awaiting you with open arms.
The employees complain about labour until they start their own business and understand what it’s really like to be a business owner. Some people are nasty to employees yes and should be dealt with accordingly, but a lot of times when people talk about working like a ‘slave’, do you even know what a slave had to go through? Do you understand how hard it is to be in business right now? Too many employees think business have an endless bank account and can pay them what they want regardless. Hard work is not being a slave. If you are not being paid your worth or according to the law then that is a different situation.
Corner Lady your first line of duty should have been to find out from within the Labour Department “How many of your Employees are working for Employers and getting paid to process Work Permits and relay to them any complaints lodged against them”. Go to Labour? Go to Labour to who or whom?
I want to report m, so who do I go to?
Your screen name says THE TRUTH, but you can’t seem to handle the truth very well or you are just simply deaf, dumb and blind to the truth. I strongly suggest you change your screen name. It ain’t no lie, there is a whole lot of ignorant, have no idea what they are talking about just inventing lies and gossip to bring others down.That is bushman/bush woman behavior and there is a whole lot of y’all living on the Island.
This is very much true
Thats sexist, labour should investigate that!
I don’t think the honorable lady know what is going on in Labour. There is no leadership and ill discipline of many workers in that department. I believe some of the thing I hear is true and some workers need to move to other department. Then, analyze what is working, and move to get those complaints pending solve. Do the same with immigration as most believe that those who apply for their immigration status should not but most who blogged have no idea how their mother is what it is today because of immigrants.
Let’s have some solid discussion of enlightenment.
They take bribes from the employers
You have current cases of complaints sitting on your desk right now that you nor the Labour Tribunal is addressing. Before you take on new complaints how about settling the current she long over due ones! Your girl Cindee own sort out yet?
It is in man’s dna to fix things, it is in womans dna to complain about it and get angry when a man trys to fix things… dont shoot the messenger.
There is a reason why you seldom see anything successful headed by women. But on the topic of fixing things, did you wake up this morning and bang your head? When you want something fixed you take it to a man, when you want something to break you take it to a woman!
To the disgruntled employees: do not always blame your employer for the extra hours you work with no pay. There is such a thing as the Labour Code which enshrines into law protections for the employee. The problem is most people cannot be bothered to 1) actually read it! and 2) do anything about it besides complain on social media!
Needs to go back to her corner.
The only officers[some years ago] I see looking out for employees when they are being mistreated by bosses was Levo Walters and Guy Hill. And it had people Local and Foreign here dispising them for it. Truth talk.