Is the expat worker being taken advantaged of?
According to the caller, who claimed he works in the private sector, the expat worker is hired to do a particular job but the employee forces many other jobs on the worker, who is often scared to approach labour about the issue for fear of losing their job or being victimised. He said, however, the local employee would often refuse to be taken advantage off.
“When a local person comes now to get a job they want to do the same thing to the local person... So they have a situation now where employers don’t want to employ local BVIslanders. They more want the expat that they can control...I am sure the Government is going to find it very difficult to find places for local workers because the labour code is not being enforced and these employers now have become comfortable of operating a second system of victimisation and oppression and our local people are going to come and stand up against it.”
Co- host of the radio talk show, Natalio Wheatley, said there must have a certain standard in the work force regardless of nationality and also noted that the Labour Department not enforcing the labour code was the crux of the matter. He was also of the opinion that a Labour Union would be a good bet to address workers’ concerns.
Cromwell Cromwell highlighted that irregularities are also playing a large part in the breakdown among employers, employees and the Labour Department. According to Smith, persons (employers) with interest would go to the elected representatives and seek redress from the elected representatives who would influence Labour Department to make a decision in their favour. “That is a major situation because, instead of the laws being enforced across the board, it now becomes the Minister’s policy regarding how he is going to treat businesses and how he is going to treat labour.”
Smith also suggested that a study be done to ascertain the issues regarding labour. “...because I think that this is an important issue, the work ethic, the attitude...Are employees just bad or is it that they are responding to stresses on the job? Perhaps we could do a study to talk to employees and employers to see what are some of the challenges they are having that is causing this friction, this disharmony between employees and employers.”
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