By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
THE private sector’s uproar over the government’s work permit policies were described yesterday as “strange” and “regressive”, a union leader emphasising that Bahamians must be considered first for all available jobs.
Obie Ferguson, president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and a labour attorney told Tribune Business: “I find it rather strange that persons are reacting so negatively to what Mr Mitchell had to say. A country has a duty first and foremost to its citizens. The citizens must be considered first in every decision a country has to make. Mr Mitchell’s remarks in my view were very measured and it appears to be very considered. If there is need for persons to come into the Bahamas to do work that Bahamians can’t do a case could be made on a case by case basis. What Mr Mitchell did was what any sensible rational, reasonable government ought to do. That is not to suggest that expatriates would not be allowed to work in the Bahamas as people with skills in areas which cannot be found here and that efforts would not be made to secure those persons work permits. I don’t see that being an issue, it’s never been an issue.”
Minister Mitchell during his mid-year budget statement last month signalled a hardening of the Government’s work permit/Immigration stance, identifying specific jobs where he Government intended to stop approving foreign labour. The minister hit out at Grand Bahama companies for having employees on work permits – explaining residents there have complained about foreign workers – and stated: “We will begin to refuse all requests for work permits, cold turkey, unless there is a clear understanding of the need for policies to hire and train Bahamians.” He also said, his suggestion is that permit fees will “increase substantially.”
“We had Bahamianization policy in effect in this country and expatriates were allowed to come in where and when the need arose. The remarks that I saw appeared to be very regressive. If I don’t have a skill and the employer needs that particular skill in order for his business to flourish why shouldn’t he be allowed to have access to that particular type of skill to keep that business going. I don’t see what was wrong with what the minster said because nothing has changed and nothing will change. We live in a very open society now,” said Mr Ferguson.
Mr Ferguson added: “What the government is doing in my view is consistent with what they campaigned on. I’m not holding brief for Minister Mitchell but I’m certain he did not say that if you need someone to do a particular job that Bahamians aren’t able to do he would not grant a work permit. Every time certain individuals in our society want to bring in people, to do work that Bahamians can do that is always the cry which has gone back to pre-1967 and to this very day. It’s a plan to bring in x number of persons. I guarantee you 99.9 per cent of the time we have Bahamians here qualified to do the job, not one Bahamian but Bahamians who are qualified. Bahamians must be given the first option for any job they are qualified to do. That is not something you need be apologetic about.”
Comments
moncurcool 11 years ago
Yes we should react negatively to what the Minister said about making low end jobs available for Bahamians. What about the high end jobs? Why does not he restrict those permits? Are Bahamians not good enough for those? In fact we need to react negatively, because rather than talking about reserving menial level jobs for Bahamians, the government need to be making sure that Bahamians become real owners in this economy and that they work to sign the front and not the back of checks. Mitchell talk should be an insult to all Bahamians. Slavery is over. Governments should be working to make people true owners. And I am not talking about saying we own BTC yet we never get a dividend or a voice in the decision. When I own, I make decisions. That is what governments should be doing. WOrk to make citizens true owners of their own businesses. Start with getting the banks to grant loans to people for businesses and not cars, then you get my support.
banker 11 years ago
Cayman Islands are giving work permits for free to anyone who wants to start or move a business there. Mitchell is talking about increasing the price of work permits. A work permit of any kind (including maids) signifies economic activity (lodging, food, clothing, power, etc). The work permits for Haitians are not stealing anyone's jobs. Most Bahamians won't do the work that the low end permit holders do, and they are unqualified to do the high end permit holders.
It will be interesting to see if the Attorney General, Allyson Maynard Gibson will be granted work permits for the Fillipinos that work at her home in slave-like conditions.
SP 11 years ago
This misleading copout trend of thought that Bahamians will not do low end jobs is pure bull manure. Bahamians can be seen daily on garbage trucks and maintaining roadsides throughout the Island…...Exactly what jobs are Haitians doing that Bahamians refuse to accept?
Truth is many years ago Bahamians did not want low end jobs because of the $30.00 daily low wages associated with them. Now however, Haitians have “changed the landscape” so to speak by raising the cost of unskilled labor significantly. In fact Haitians now begin negotiations for yard maintenance services at $100.00 per day!
Obviously Haitians have drastically changed the situation to their detriment
Bahamians are very willing to work at ANY LEVEL as long as they are properly compensated......As they should be.
Those of you that do not believe Bahamians should be first in their own country are urged to quickly move self, family and business to Cayman Islands or heaven....Your choice….Don’t let the door hit you in the ass!
VDSheep 11 years ago
When will Bahamians be qualified for any job? The minister and immigration department ought to list all jobs from each entity that applies for foreign worker/s; on line and in local newspapers. We must insist that our governments PLP and FNM get rid of this outdated colonial mentality that Bahamians are not qualified for any job in the Bahamas. Governments ought to have an attachment to every letter of agreement on the structure of jobs. Somewhere along the lines of 90% Bahamian in every case. After all…, foreign investment in the Bahamas must benefit Bahamians. We must get away from the house boy slave mentality that Bahamians are not qualified. In most cases Bahamians trains those so called foreign professionals…, that actually take their job! Another case in point: Fly fishing, deep sea fishing and still fishing etc. ought to be monopolized by Bahamians - seeing that foreigners already control the tourist trade. Commercial fishing (including sport fishing) is suppose to be for Bahamians only. The technicality is having lodges owned by foreigners; they make the real money - while Bahamians are only fishing guides. The structure of Bahamas sport fishing (commercial fishing) need to be restructured! Including foreigner owing fishing lodges. It is not sustainable for Bahamians to allow foreigners to own all of us, the land, sea, air and economy too.
Ironvelvet 11 years ago
I and many people do not have a problem with the remarks alluding to hiring Bahamians that are QUALIFIED to do the job. What I think many people who apply for work permits are having issue with is the work permit being denied because the government is so caught up with the "Bahamian 1st" campaign that they are ludicrously expecting a private company to hire an UNQUALIFIED Bahamian and do on the job training for a job that may require significant skills/degree in order to work independently, so the employer ends up paying 2 people to do a job that 1 should be able to perform. This is not a means to increase revenue.
I do not deny that there are many instances when QUALIFIED Bahamians are applying for the job and not being hired, yes that should be dealt with accordingly.
Another issue that many people are not mentioning is that many young Bahamians are returning from abroad with many advanced degrees and not being hired by Bahamians because they fear job security. The person at times who never even acquired a Bachelor's degree is doing a job that a person with a Master's should be doing, does have, and whom did apply for the position.
We need to look at all the issues of job acquisition in our country.
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