The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

jsimmons@tribunemedia.com

A CABINET minister yesterday told Bahamians to stop complaining about the number of work permits being issued for expatriate labour if they are unwilling to “step up” and fill these posts themselves.

Wayne Munroe, minister of national security, asserted: “We need to stop complaining about the issuance of work permits unless we’re willing to step up and offer ourselves for these jobs.”

He gave this admonishment at the the Department of Labour’s press conference for its latest Labour on the Blocks 2.0 job fair. The event, the 12th in the series, will be held in conjunction with the Freetown Urban Renewal Programme this Saturday at Pilgrim Baptist Church, St James Road, between 9am and 3pm.

Keith Bell, minister of labour and Immigration, backed Mr Munroe’s position and encouraged Bahamians to ready themselves for employment opportunities instead of complaining and sitting on the sidelines.

He said: “Going to minister Munroe’s point, the reality is that we do give out in excess of 15,000 work permits per year in this country. And instead of complaining, sitting on the sidelines, and not having a job or not getting a job or not preparing yourself for a job, the end objective is to ensure that, first of all, you work hard. Put yourself in that position. And when the opportunity is created, you’re able to get the job.”

Several major employers will be present at the job fair including Kelly’s House and Home, Family Guardian, IHOP, SMG, Sandals Royal Bahamian, ICS Security, the Department of Immigration, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Bahamas Department of Corrections.

The ‘Labour on the Blocks 2.0’ initiative has held 11 job fairs on New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera thus far, helping more than 3,000 Bahamians find employment.

Mr Bell said: “Over the past ten months, the Ministry of Labour and Immigration, in conjunction with a number of community-based organisations, and our partners from the private sector has held 11 job fairs in three Family Islands, with over 3,000 Bahamians obtaining gainful employment.”

Persons planning to attend Saturday’s job fair should bring their resume, National Insurance Board (NIB) card and one other form of government-issued identification. They must be dressed appropriately for interviews with prospective employers. Individuals that do not have appropriate attire can request assistance at the Department of Labour’s office on Rosetta Street.

Simone Thurston, acting assistant director of labour, said more than 160 persons were hired at the last job fair. She said: “Well, as for the last job fair in the community, there were 160-plus persons hired on the spot, and those numbers are still coming in. We’re still getting feedback from employers as to how many persons they hired.”

Individuals that are not hired at the job fairs are added to the Department of Labour’s skills data bank, where there are currently some 65,000 persons registered. Ms Thurston said: “Over 65,000 persons are registered. Bear in mind, a lot of those are not unemployed persons. Some of them will be persons who are seeking a better job opportunity.”

Mr Bell said the data bank serves as a tool to ensure that labour certificates are not issued for the hiring of expatriate labour when there are qualified Bahamians available and willing to fill those posts. He added: “What happens is whenever a person applies for a labour certificate, the Department of Labour also is responsible for the issuance of labour certificates.

“And so whenever someone issues a labour certificate, the first thing that they would do is to go to that bank to determine whether or not there is any qualified Bahamian to fill that role before the certificate is issued. Then it goes over for an application for a work permit.

“And so I can say, without fear of contradiction, that in a number of instances where Bahamians have made an application for a labour certificate, in hopes of moving towards a work permit, and the Labour Department has checked this very same bank, the applicant has been able to find a Bahamian to fill the position.”

Mr Bell also said he had been in contact with the IHOP restaurant franchise and its opening, which was initially scheduled for February, is back on schedule. He added: “I’ve been in communication with the owner of IHOP. And the opening is imminent, I can say that, and that everything is back on schedule. We are very optimistic”