WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 30: The Minister of Home Affairs, Michael Fahy, announced today
that Government has decided to move forward with the elimination of the
Term Limit policy with immediate effect.
He said: "Today, after
much deliberation, input and feedback, I wish to announce that the
Government has decided to move forward with the elimination of the Term
Limit Policy with immediate effect.
We believe that the elimination of the policy will help spark
economic growth and create employment opportunities for Bermudians.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the leader of the
Opposition, MP Marc Bean who showed tremendous fortitude and courage in
supporting the abolishment of term limits.
I look forward to hearing further suggestions from the Opposition in relation to other policy initiatives.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank those members of the
Work Permit Policy Stakeholder group and our legal counsel for their
vital feedback.
And, I want to assure the people of this Country that this was not a decision that was taken lightly.
We will continue to ensure that the rights of the Bermudian worker are a priority for this Government.
You will already know that the Term Limit Policy was not created to
protect Bermudian jobs; it is the work permit policy that protects
Bermudian jobs.
To this end, I want to reassure all Bermudians, particularly those
Bermudians who are currently seeking employment that the elimination of
the Term Limit Policy, otherwise known as the Policy to Inhibit Long
Term Residency, will not result in an added burden or obstacle for you
as you continue to seek employment. In fact, it will likely be one of
many tools that this Government uses to create more employment
opportunities for Bermudians.
I want to remind all Bermudians that every work permit holder is in
Bermuda for a defined period based on the length of their work permit.
When a one, two or three year work permit expires, the job must be
advertised.
Where a qualified Bermudian applies for the job, the employer must extend the job to the qualified Bermudian applicant.
To this end, the Ministry will continue to focus on training and
development strategies to prepare our next generation of Bermudian
workers with the necessary skills and education to take advantage of an
increasingly sophisticated job market.
Also, in the coming weeks the Ministry will share more with respect
to the new measures that will be put in place to strengthen the
penalties for employers who violate work permit policies. These
penalties will affect recruitment practices and the required disclosure
of information with respect to qualified Bermudians who apply for
advertised jobs.
Please know, and I cannot stress this enough – this Government is
committed to ensuring that Bermudian jobs are protected and more
importantly that more job opportunities are afforded to all Bermudians
by removing barriers to job creation such as Term Limits.
To be clear, our guest workers are vitally important to our economy.
The data shows that there are more jobs in the economy than there are qualified Bermudians to fill some of the jobs.
Not only do guest workers bring skills and expertise but remember -
they rent our homes and apartments, dine in our restaurants, shop in our
stores, buy motor bikes and cars, consume energy and generally help to
support our economy at many levels. Their mere presence helps to create
and sustain jobs.
And as a community we must embrace our guest workers as they are genuinely a part of what keeps our economy moving forward.
I want to pause for a moment to address an issue related to guest
workers. The recent online blogs and talk radio shows have been rampant
with this negative rhetoric being targeted at our non-Bermudian
workers. Mind you, it’s only a select few fanning the flames of
negativity, but it only takes one or two individuals for the comments to
eventually snowball into something that translates into Bermudians
being perceived as anti-foreigner.
Some of the comments I’ve heard and seen have been completely
unacceptable. And regrettably we don’t have suitable mechanisms in
place to properly police some of these anonymous rants.
But I think the wider community understand me when I say that this
anti-foreigner anger is uninformed, misdirected and unhelpful. I am
quite willing to listen to all sides of an issue, but it does us
absolutely no good to engage in a dialogue that’s divisive and
counterproductive in moving this Country to a higher level of acceptance
and tolerance.
This Country’s diversity is what makes us unique. Our welcoming and hospitable nature is what has made us legendary.
Are we a Country with challenges and issues to address – yes – but we
are also a Country with many positives. And if we are to address our
challenges in a productive way then we must start from a place of mutual
respect.
The Government recognizes that in some cases guest workers compete
for the same jobs as Bermudians which is why we will ensure that our
approach is balanced and fair and that Bermudians are not
disadvantaged.
I encourage all unemployed Bermudians - professional, technical,
administrative and otherwise to ensure that they are registered with the
Department of Labour and Training.
A record of all unemployed persons’ employment status, academic
qualifications, skills and experience is an important source of
information as we seek to refine policies in the best interest of all
Bermuda.
To be clear, the elimination of the Policy: Measures to Inhibit Long
–Term Residency represents a giant step forward. It represents the red
carpet approach, conveying that Bermuda is open for business.
It’s a policy that has been identified as a barrier to job creation.
While it is not the panacea, it is one of a number of changes that must be made if Bermuda’s economy is to grow.
Of course, I expect that there will be some administrative and
operational questions that will need to be answered and the Department
of Immigration will communicate directly with all employers in the
coming weeks with respect to processes, so please know that:
Over the next few months, all work permit holders will be required to
sign a declaration confirming their understanding that Bermuda law does
not confer rights of permanent residence and that the holder has no
expectation of such residence.
A refund will be issued for all Term Limit applications that have not
been processed to date. This refund will not extend to those
applications that have already been processed.
Ladies and gentlemen, today marks the first step towards rebuilding Bermuda’s economic prosperity.
I believe we are a Country of forward thinking, hard working and
innovative people. And if we all work together, collectively in support
of one another, I have no doubt that we can return Bermuda to the
heights of economic success."