The Tribune

Work permit threat is a blunt instrument

YOU sometimes wonder if some people in government have experience in business.

Department of Labour director John Pinder has a new suggestion for businesses - they will have their overseas employees' work permits revoked if they fail to appoint and train apprentices.

It's the kind of thing that makes for good politics but bad business. The government can say look, we're getting rid of foreign workers and giving their jobs to Bahamians – it sounds good at the bar and on the election trail – but here's the thing, for a work permit to be approved, businesses have to show a qualified Bahamian was not available for the role. It's not just a one-off check either – every time a work permit comes up, the job has to be readvertised to see if a Bahamian applies.

Businesses will tell you finding the right applicant can be a challenge for some posts – simply put, the more specialised the skill, the fewer people there are who have it.

When a business looks for a foreign applicant, it's not because they want to deny a Bahamian an opportunity – they haven't been able to find a candidate.

The same will often hold true for trainee positions – you've got to find the people you can train up for the role. And if no one applies, what then? Will businesses be penalised – denied someone the business needs to carry it forward – because there isn't an applicant who wants the job? And what happens if an applicant is identified and trained but then decides to move jobs?

Paying for a work permit is not cheap – if businesses could hire a Bahamian and scrap those costs, they would. After all, most businesses are run by Bahamians too.

It's true there needs to be tighter checks – finding out the name of an apprentice should be more than a box-ticking exercise. The Department of Labour is also provided with details from every business of the skills needed by applicants – how about examining the most commonly needed skills and implementing training schemes to ensure the right applicants are here in the first place? That way, we help develop the homegrown talent to fill the roles as they become available.

Let's wield a precise tool and not a blunt instrument – find out the needs of business and the best ways to help Bahamians meet those. Act to stop the businesses that don't deal fairly over permits, but don't treat all businesses as if they are all acting in bad faith.

Oh, and Mr Pinder, we note you say there needs to be further discussions with the Department of Immigration. Here's another suggestion, Mr Pinder - have some further discussions with businesses too, and let's solve this together.

Really, Mr Dames?

What on earth is National Security Minister Marvin Dames on about?

After he got to his feet at the Royal Bahamas Police Force's annual church service to say that Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson is "nearing the end of his reign", he now says he doesn't understand how The Tribune could run a headline saying "Ferguson told - your days are numbered".

Well, when you stand up in front of a host of officers and tell them that their chief is on his way, that ought to be a clue, Mr Dames.

At the time, he said that the police chief should be "excited and ready to move on" and that he, like others in the force, are "all just passing through".

He went on to say that the force was just one of the country's law enforcement agencies that was restructuring, and that "anything is possible" in terms of who leads them.

He also called the commissioner by name in the church service and said that he and his executive team should know by name the next leaders of the police.

Forgive our sarcasm, but yes, it's hard to imagine how Mr Dames gave the impression that the end was near for the commissioner...

Mr Dames also went out of his way to say he had no beef with the police chief (no one suggested he had).

However, given the way senior officers in agencies have been treated recently, perhaps he ought to give them a thought rather than fretting about how the media is covering his words.

Indeed, when asked about the future of Defence Force Commodore Tellis Bethel yesterday, he said "we shall see" if the commodore returns from his forced three-month leave as if it was something in the far future.

For the record, the commodore is due to return to work today.