Burt: We have to protect Bermudians in the job market

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16: Employers need to hire Bermudian employees now that jobs aren’t as prevalent as they once were.

Speaking in the Senate today, Senator David Burt said all stakeholders must “accept the duty they have to ensure that Bermuda’s social fabric remains intact”.

“Our recovery will be more sustainable and longer lasting when we restore balance to our local labour force.

“We need to ensure that the persons building our new hospital, and our affordable housing, running the electrical wires, and fitting the pipe, tiling the floors and walls, and installing the solar panels are Bermudian labour.

“As a Government, we have an obligation to protect our local industries and our citizens from cheap labour imported by unscrupulously greedy employers.”

Mr. Burt said back in 2006, there was a shortage of skilled labourers, which forced companies to bring in guest workers to fill the positions.

But today, construction isn’t booming and there are still “scores” of guest workers in positions that could be filled by Bermudians, he said.

“We must reject the arguments of the greedy companies that insist our Bermudian labour isn’t up to the task.

“What they really mean to say is that Bermudian labour requires that you actually have to manage.

“Bermudian labour is up to the task as it was Bermudian labour that built this country.”

The Senator continued: “However, employing Bermudian labour means that you cannot mistreat your staff or underpay them.

“You must pay their pensions and cannot force them to work evenings, weekends and public holidays.

“You must allow them to go to their kids sports days and attend the funerals of their loved ones.

“There are scores of qualified Bermudians in the trades who are out of work, yet there are entire jobsites filled with foreign labour.

“We cannot ignore the realities in our midst, as the people we represent see it every day when they drive down South Shore Road.

“If you have a business model that relies solely on guest workers, your business model is not valid in today’s Bermuda.

“It may have worked in the heyday of the last decade, but your company needs to reset the dial, to figure out how you can employ Bermudians and make your business work.”

Mr. Burt also spoke about convenience stores hiring guest workers as cashiers saying he didn’t believe it was difficult to find a Bermudian to fill the position.

“As policy makers we need to ensure that our policies fit the needs of our people, and our labour policies are very important in their relation to our economic well being.

“We cannot be about ‘workfare, not welfare’ if we do not do everything in our power to make sure our people can find work.”

He also said there were about 2,000 Bermudians without work and more than 9,000 active work permits.

Sen. Burt said he hoped the moratorium currently in place for certain categories of work permits would extend to other categories.