We need clear Labour & Immigration policies- John Samuel
Appearing on Umoja on ZBVI 780 AM Thursday November 17, 2016 Samuel was addressing the popular topic of expatriates competing for local jobs.
He pointed to a recent incident that drove the matter straight home for him.
“We do have challenges because this morning I was on my way to work listening to a station and there was a Disc Jockey on the station and I scratched my head and say how is it that this guy gets his work permit renewed annually? Because in my mind it would appear to me that this is a job that perhaps young BV Islanders would be interested in doing and can be easily trained for. So it brought the question to my mind our Labour policies, our Immigration policies,” he said.
Are expatriates filling short or long term demands?
Another sore spot on the matter was the length of time that expatriates stay in the territory.
“Because when we are bringing in people into the country on a work permit status, are we bringing them to fill a demand? Is that perceived to be a short-term demand or a long-term demand?”
He continued, “…A high percentage of these people are turned into permanent residents, is that what we want?”
He said the Labour Department is “just throwing out paper, work permits, the immigration department is unsure how they supposed to respond to the overstayers or people that apply for additional time.”
Samuels pointed out that it is because the territory’s policies are unclear.
“So we as a country need to decide what our policies in relation to work permits and it might be a multi-layered policy depending on the market subsector, the demand in a workplace, but there is no way we can say to ourselves that the demand for expatriate labour in 2016 is the same as it was in 1995.”
Government not thinking about adjusting the laws
“So the fact that we haven’t sat down and pieced out how we adjusting our Labour and Immigration policy means that we are not even thinking about it.”
Mr Samuel said if this is done then the Labour Department would get a clear picture as to permits that should be approved or rejected.
“When you operate in this environment you get the impression that there is a clear expectation that expatriates coming on work permits are not planning to come to leave, they are planning to stay.”
80 Responses to “We need clear Labour & Immigration policies- John Samuel”
The American TV and media have our youth like a bunch of jackasses thinking they're cool, while others come in, identify opportunities and run with them while we complain and play victim. Which BVIslander do you know that work their ass off, becomes qualified, willing to work from the bottom up, have a good attitude and work ethic, but are unemployed and not getting by? How many of them you know?
I know quite a few (will not post their names without their consent for ethical reasons), but most have all left the Virgin Islands and doing well else where. I am one of such persons. My presence is not one from the privileged families.
In my youth (born Virgin Islander) I was denied a full scholarship as a result of my academic achievements but was denied in the process because my parents were not born Virgin Islanders. However, I continue to keep "Hope Alive" that one day our people will awaken. I only share for LOVE of Country and for our Ethnorelative minds throughout the Diaspora.
A Gov’t of people who is more than willing to nurture a culture of dependency to secure their own self-interest, special interest and sense of power, and importance - is intentional.
A country who pleasure themselves in denying children of expat families, who were born in the country of "their birthrights" - is intentional.
A Gov’t, past and present, for decades, who has failed to prepare their people through enactments of proper succession intervention but find pleasure in expressing how the people are not ready for top jobs- is intentional.
A Gov’t who suppresses and marginalizes its qualified people, (who are ready, willing, and able to do the right things, maintain their integrity, follow and carry out the laws of the country to the best of their abilities), without any form of recourse - is intentional.
A Public Education System that has run its course but now urgently needs a boost of strong fundamental improvements but continues in implement the same or similar top-down decorations that benefit the few who a prepared, but further disenfranchise and demoralize even more young people, as a consequence of failing to formulate a measurable, comprehensive, and holistically strategy, again strongly appears intentional.
I can go on and on, but for now I think you get my point. I am neither for or against your comment. I am laying this out just tapping into basic common sense, which is increasingly becoming a sense of diminishing returns amongst our intellectuals as their excessive taste for greed increases.
A Gov’t who has cultivated a "Culture of Dependency" sets its people up with a MINDSET of entitlements, lack of assertiveness, and blinding complacency; and as a consequence, the people losses the Sense of Urgency and Agility to Prepare themselves for now unfolding circumstances.
The only SOLUTION is to adapt BOLD measures at this time, which involves completely cutting off all Gov’t entitlements (no more envelopes nor petty contracts, special favours and the likes- around election times); and instead, start working on changing the debilitating MINDSET of its People. If serious, this will take the next 21 years to completely reverse. Again, I emphasize- do the research.
I guess much of those who complain that they can't get jobs in other countries like expats do here are simply unqualified or they very well know that they can't go to other countries and operate the way they do here so they dear not venture outside of the bvi. Can't forget standing behind one bv islander in the bank a couple weeks ago who was ignorant enough to be speaking aloud for others to hear how he returned to bvi to work as an auditor because the system in the states was too strict for him. That's one of the reasons why bv islanders can't go other countries to get jobs; some of them just too darm lazy and lawless. They know they can't get away in other countries with the nonsense they get away with here. No one is saying that there shouldn't be immigration policies for the protection of a country's citizens but some of you need to quit whining aND step up to the plate for the improvement of your so called beloved. BVI. THE same expatriates you want to send home are the ones who came here to "stay" according to you and ended up playing a big part in the development of the BVI.
Locals apply you what gives you the authority or do you have facts to back that?
Many of the expatriates use particular companies to get a work permit issued for their entrance. I have definite evidence of jobs applied to an expats were granted work permits to relocate and fill positions. Where are your facts.
All work in the BVI are done in English yet the Labour and Immigration Departments fail to see that these folks would place specific clauses to deter the locals (MUST SPEAK RUSSIAN, POLISH, PORTUGUESE, I SAW REQUEST FOR SWEDISH DEGREE) Which local has that. One lady kept submitting newspaper adds to her likeliness so that a work permit can be issued to her (EVIDENCE IS CLEAR)!
LAWS MUST BE REVISITED!
Jobs are advertised overseas as well as locally when a qualified local applicant can't be found.
Many jobs in the BVI may require foreign languages - we are in a global marketplace.
Yes I have the facts to back up my statement, I am an employer who has been advertising for more than 2 years and in all that time I have received 1 response from a local who told me they could only work weekdays as they needed the weekend off.
This is the mentality that is ingrained in the BVI there are locals who want and do work but the lower end jobs manual labor, service jobs they don't want them unless they are management but you need to get experience to become management. So as you say the EVIDENCE is very clear, now i am not saying your points aren't valid but my authority comes from my experience.
Some do return to our shores with degrees and some experience in hand but still are locked out for entrance into the job market. Some have also returned to the overseas environment in which they did their studies to seek out work, particularly those young people who were given government scholarships to study overseas.
When they started all but 2 were local out of 10 ,now at age 6 out of 29 employee 5 are locals and 15 on work permits and they have a next 10 pending .
But the problem is most 8 to 10 an hour ! Which bvi lander work work for that in a charter company ?
BVI and other countries can hold jobs in the US. So what is it?
The way you people interpret and twist and turn things really amazes me........
....nothing come easy.