Financial Services & yachting industry crafty in hiring tactics – residents hear

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A resident making a point at the labour meeting. Photo: Aneka Edwards/VINO

A resident interacting with Labour Commissioner (ag) Janice Rymer and Deputy Labour Commissioner Stephanie Williams. Photo: VINO

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Some employers use underhand tactics to bring in foreign staff under the guise that they are working in minimal jobs when in fact the individuals are highly qualified.

At a labour meeting held last evening February 7, 2012 at the Abraham Leonard Community Centre, residents heard that such craftiness is most prevalent in the financial services and yachting industry.

Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr. Kedrick Pickering disclosed the Labour Department has received a number of complaints which has prompted the Department to investigate, and while he did not divulge the outcome on the investigations he noted that “we took steps to remedy those situations”.

“I can tell you about a disgusting situation where someone was brought in under the pretence that she was a maid, when she was a highly qualified person and within a couple of months she was the assistant manager at the firm. It’s even worse in the yachting industry where people are brought in certain positions then overnight they are managers,” the Minister bluntly stated.

Meanwhile, a resident asked if the Labour Department could send staff to execute “spot checks” on Virgin Islanders working at the financial institutions to see how they were treated.

According to her, the financial service industry employers are good at fixing job advertisements to suit the persons that they want to bring in.

“I do not think that someone from the United Kingdom (UK) should be brought in to be employed as a Secretary…granted there are roles within the companies that we have to seek outside the country. We don’t need to bring in a Secretary on a work permit on a part time basis…and we have people who are home not working, and have kids to feed,” the resident charged.

To this Hon. Pickering replied, “The issue there is a troubling one, but you have to be realistic checking on these places we have to be careful not to send the wrong message. We need those institutions, as much as they would need us... so we talking about balancing a situation. If there are specific complaints like the one you are referring the Labour Department can investigate.”

31 Responses to “Financial Services & yachting industry crafty in hiring tactics – residents hear ”

critic (08/02/2012, 08:22) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
you all noticed how this minister dont want to tackle the main problems affecting us?
- Crank Shaft (08/02/2012, 09:52) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  Yea, he was only elected 3months ago and is going from district to district having meetings because he doesn't care. Right. The last Minister and Labour Minister were busy being wined and dined with stew liver and other niceties instead of looking out for us. LOL!
  - good luck (09/02/2012, 06:26) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    you silly NDP bloger "crank shaft" you better watch your mouth for the same thing going happen wid tis one!
    - Crank Shaft (09/02/2012, 10:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Watch what mouth, you think I'm a punk or what? I speak what I want and no illiterate jack@$$ like yourself can stop me, TRY!!!!!
COMMON SENSE (08/02/2012, 09:11) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
this is a very serious issue... when is a government going to put their foot down on this one. i see it happening at all the major hotels on VG. biras, bitter end, little dix, necker island. jobs that locals can do but they rather white ppl as managers. white owners want their peers in authority. bottom line. and sadly, we allow it. our economy suffers because of this. big salaries are not spent locally but banked in the us and uk. COMMON SENSE.
- Music (08/02/2012, 10:05) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  But where are are these BVIslanders that could fill these posts? We have seen from the recent exercise to register the unemployed that most of them do not have jobs or qualifications for anything but low level jobs. I am sure all those that are qualified have jobs already or went abroad.
  - OK (08/02/2012, 11:43) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    If labour was to ask for the qualification for a lot of people brought in to do certain "so called" skilled job,they would find 90% don't have any qualification. Many feeling their way around with out as much as a high school certificate.
    - my country (09/02/2012, 06:48) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      the labour dept dem self needs to get qulified people to work there...now that is a good start!
      - Cal (09/02/2012, 19:39) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        I agree wity you and that would certainly change a lot of the shi@@@ that goes on in the BVI. Be careful what you wish for, but I do agree.
- Really (08/02/2012, 11:03) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  Unfortunately, the politicians and those in high positions have only a half interest in doing the right thing. The other half interest is with them getting their pockets greased. All this underhand stuff has been going on for years, not just with jobs, with every thing else here in the BVI. It happens with obtain Land Holders License. To find selfless Politicians today, is one in few. Most are about them and their cronies own gain.
Craziness! (08/02/2012, 10:25) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
@Common Sense and Critic - And ayo talking like you wouldn't employ whoever de heck you want if you was a business owner! If hotel owners and trust companies want to employ people they think will do the job best, let them. If that means they want a white man as manager, so be it as long as they good and they keep the place successful. If the business fail, jobs go. Or what? You rather they employ a black man who doing a bad job than a white man who doing a good job? Come on ... a rich American hotel owner has one thing on his mind - keeping his investment safe. If you force him to have a local manager he doesn't want, he'll move his money somewhere else where the govt. doesn't interfere and people aren't so damn insecure. If we tolians prove ourselves excellent managers, financial wizkids, and all that, those foreigners would employ us at the drop of a hat. But tell them they HAVE to employ us to run their businesses whether we doing it right or not, and I tell you one ting - they gaaan! And what - you could blame them???
- COMMON SENSE (08/02/2012, 11:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  i must believe that you are not a black person cause if you are, u think very little of your own. i would rather a local do the job. it is done in many islands in the region. do ur research. if they must, they will bring someone to train a local for a couple years on a temp permit. maybe you don't have confidence in ur own but i know we can. raise up from your oppressed mentality. emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. if it was up to some of us, we wud let them come and take the very skin off our backs. COMMON SENSE
- COMMON SENSE (08/02/2012, 11:49) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  no damn sense. why do i even answer some of these bloggers...
- Sil (09/02/2012, 19:42) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  You brainwash too buddy.
SKA (08/02/2012, 10:37) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
This will continue to happen because most locals are lazy & have poor work ethic, and ppl simple don't want to deal with them. Foreign workers come here to work & they put in the time and effort... some local ppl come to an 8:30 job at 9:30 and leave promptly @ 5. the sooner some locals get rid of that " born here" syndrome that they feel entitles them to everything in the BVI, the sooner ppl will see them as the employees of choice.
- too lie (08/02/2012, 17:06) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  ska; stop tell lie who work harder than locals?? who the hell build tis little country? you all need to stop from always trying to rewrite history...locals must rule and has always been the hardest working in the home land..stop the hate and the foolishness and down right hogwash. we not buying tis at all.
  - SKA (09/02/2012, 10:04) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    In response to "too lie", our hardworking ancestors that built this country years ago, are not the same as the lazy a$$ locals we have now. I stand by my statement, I'm not saying all are lazy, but a very large percentage of "YOU", (yes I said it) have this mis-guided conception that because you "born here", you have some sense of entitlement. I've worked in the Financial Services industry for over 10 years, and have seen first hand, why most companies pefer to recruit staff from outside the BVI. Some locals work hard, don't get me wrong, but there are those, who simple state "I born here, so the post should be mine".... Those are the ones to which my post refers.
- Sil (09/02/2012, 19:56) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  SKA you are talking bull. A lot of expats in this country working 4 jobs with one work permit just to make ends meet. Its about CHEAP LABOUR. If all those expats were so worksome why are they not working just as hard at home. The point is when one is at home things are different for them - isn't that obvious.
xcuse (08/02/2012, 10:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
Pickering stop back tracking about looking for balnce these people only want to hire their friends and you need to address dat boss in the industries.
Crank Shaft (08/02/2012, 11:16) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
This is Labour fault as well. There is no way a maid can be approved as a Manager without Labour's knowledge. If that happens that there's a fundamental flaw in our system. In fact, if this person is being appointed as a Senior in the Financial Services sector, the FSC would need to approve them as such and one would think that the FSC would check with Labour etc. to ensure everything is in order? In the past, like 5-10yrs ago, I saw dive instructors, yacht skippers, carpenters and the like, appointed as IT technicians, trust managers etc. With the FSC approval scheme in place for senior posts I've seen it curbed a bit, but not totally. Many of these large firms will brag about their 'hookup' at labour. I know that there are specialist jobs that locals can't fill and expats would need to be hired, I get that point. But there's no reason why a yacht skipper and dive instructor should be given secretarial posts and others where locals can do the work. That's BS!
Mr. Mob DEEP (08/02/2012, 11:49) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
Sometimes we locals feel that it is our good given right to be employed at these firms with a high salary too. Why? Because "WE BORN HERE" then when they employ us...we want to talk to clients and bosses the SAME WAY WE TALK TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS.....it's not everybody who could understand the dialect and some of us "RAW" with it. Secondly once you get in...we want to survive on salary and bonuses and have know thought of gaining additional qualifications to advance our careers...we just want the check. These firms want to hire people who will leave their DRAMA home and come to work with their GAME FACES on and perform at a HIGH LEVEL.....can we say with a sound mind that this is how WE perform? I think not, so the want to go after the people that will APPRECIATE the opportunity and RUN WITH IT.....I presently work with some LOCAL front line people who deals with the public on a regular basis AND YOU SHOULD SEE SOME OF MY COWORKERS FACES WHEN YOU CONDUCTING BUSINESS YOU WOULD JUST WANT TO RUN FROM INFRONT THEM....I've worked around expats and some going through divorce and major health issues and you would never know BECAUSE THEY LEAVE IT AT HOME!
- righ here me from and must eat (08/02/2012, 21:49) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  hell yes we born here and we have a damm entitlement...who do not like it can catch the next flight out???....oh i taught so I have not seen any flight booked.
  - SKA (09/02/2012, 10:04) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I rest my case!
  - Crank Shaft (09/02/2012, 10:15) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Yes, let them catch the flights out with their businesses on their backs. OH NO, who will locals work for? Who will rent the buildings in town? Who will rent the houses in the hills? SEND THEM ALL HOME!! HAHAHA!!!!!!! Word to the wise, the BVI got popular with Financial Services due to the situation in Panama with Noreaga. Panama is now getting back on its feet and many service providers are flocking there. With the advent of internet and conducting global business from your office, you all better check and see what's happening. A qualifiied, educated and experienced person in Panama is willing to work for half of a local's salary here. I won't say anything else.....
business and ususal (08/02/2012, 13:27) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
these meetinga are a waste of time..nothing will change!!
dem say (09/02/2012, 06:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
Unless we get a Minister of Labor with balls like Frazer or Ms. Parsons these issues of how the industry treat locals and we Caribbean brothers and sisters will not go away. Once you hear any politician talking bout balance he is a weak and ah compromising leader. These issues with these people fixing jobs for their friends and family that looks like them is serious and has been going on for years. Someone needs to tek the bull by the horn and deal with it! So until you get the right Minister it will be just talk and hot air….
- Crank Shaft (09/02/2012, 10:17) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
  Yea who needs balance? Let's send home all them trust companies and we going start our own, yea yea yea, let's do that, all of them yea yea yea. LOL ya'll people really need to get off this sad rock and see what the world is about. Caymans tried exactly what you're proposing, ask them what the end result was. Now, someone can walk in with $1mil and get citizenship over there.
  - Release (09/02/2012, 13:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    i sick of readng this idoit "crank shaft' boss get on the next flight back to teh UK
    - Crank Shaft (09/02/2012, 15:26) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Crank Shaft is a proud BVIslander and is here to stay, sorry for being an inconvenience to you!
stop (09/02/2012, 20:37) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
doc you setting up your self because you not going to do a damm thing about this situation!
bad treatment (09/02/2012, 21:48) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
The other thing is how blacks are treated in those two sectors…now talk that!

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Financial Services & yachting industry crafty in hiring tactics – residents hear

31 Responses to “Financial Services & yachting industry crafty in hiring tactics – residents hear ”

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