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'Freeze all work permits for VG jobs immediately!' – Hon Andrew A. Fahie
The Opposition member was speaking yesterday February 4, 2016 under 'any other business' during the Sixth Sitting of the First Session of the Third House of Assembly.
The resort caused controversy when it recently announced that come May 1, 2016 it will be commencing renovation works and will be closing for 18 months to facilitate this, meaning that all of the staff – numbering over 300 – would be laid off.
Government had said it was not made aware of the impending closure of the resort until the day before it was announced to the staff themselves, January 14, 2016. The National Democratic Party Administration has since announced a number of countermeasures to help those who will be displaced find work and get assistance in terms of Immigration and Labour formalities.
“If you are reading and following [the news], every country now saying we have to protect our people,” he said, noting that it was not only Rosewood Little Dix Bay but also Biras Creek and other establishments that had job casualties all totalling over 400 people.
“One of the first things I would humbly suggest since I could only do it in here is that we put a freeze on all work permits to Virgin Gorda…for all jobs for Virgin Gorda you put an instant freeze on work permits. Because you cannot have 400 odd people running around a place without a job. That should be done instantaneously,” Hon Fahie said.
Put a freeze on lands to non-locals
Further, Honourable Fahie suggested that because of the loss of jobs in Virgin Gorda, Government needs to put a freeze on the purchase of land for anybody who is non-local.
“Because those who have waiting for those who don’t have much, to don’t end up with none at all, to go with their land. This is a big game and we have to step in now to secure our people while looking for jobs,” he said.
According to the First District Representative, over 60 percent of the 300 or so persons to be let go from Rosewood Little Dix Bay are locals.
He said the domino effect of the closure of the resort would mean that property owners might not get the rent that is due to them and as a result may run into problems with the bank, which may lead to them losing their apartment building. “And who is going to buy them if all of us broke?” he asked.
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35 Responses to “'Freeze all work permits for VG jobs immediately!' – Hon Andrew A. Fahie”
You go into any locally owned establishment and they do not hire their own, they either hire Philipinos or down islanders.
and take back the oil nut house to be for locals.
Secondly, freezing work permits is not really going to work because a lot of the jobs the work permits are for are for needed services that BVislanders are either unwilling to do or unable to do because the educational system does not address the labor needs of the country.
Government and private enterprises.
Vigin Gorda does not even have a Dept. of Trade. My hope is that from this dilemma of the LDB closing, many entrepreneurs ( local and expat alike) can be nurtured to start and operate viable businesses for the community. The VG population continues to grow and it is high time that we becoming more self sustaining .
More businesses lead to more jobs..Simple equation. So if the Gov't doesn't have the money or capacity to start and operate profitable enterprise, they should facilitate , subsidize, train and provide incentives for the ones who are willing. e.g Force the banks to ensure a % of their loan portfolio goes to small business loans...u know that type of thing .....instead of pressuring the present small business owners by restricting work permits...REALLY?
all them want is office work
them na no to do field work thats why they have to have the down islanders to come in cause they have the skill
not the tolans
I would consider the closure a blessing if it meant these damn foreigners were all going home at last, but I know it for what it is: The purpose of the closure is to get BVIslanders off the payroll and give those jobs to Filipinos and other cheap labour. When will it end?