IN AN attempt to guide the future growth of foreign residents in the TCI, the PDM Government will soon be developing a population policy.
This policy, according to Deputy Premier Sean Astwood, will highlight the areas of opportunity for migrants to live and work in the TCI as well as protect the citizens of the Islands and promote their gainful employment, development and prosperity for decades to come.
The promise was made during Astwood’s presentation in the House of Assembly last week during the budget debate.
Explaining the need for the policy, the Deputy Premier stated: “Over the years there has been an unprecedented number of work permits issued to foreign nationals without any plan or analysis as to the skills that are required.
“This did little but to open the floodgates and in some cases resulted in the displacement of our people in the middle to upper management jobs that would otherwise have been available to them. This trend cannot continue, will not continue, and change, it must.”
He added that with increasing developments there will be a continuing need for migrant workers, and that his Government will facilitate businesses in obtaining the workforce they need.
However, he added that the people of the TCI must come first and “we will never apologise for this, as we see this as our greatest responsibility”.
The population policy will also be formed on the findings of the National Skills Audit, which he said is 80 percent completed and which will inform what skills and certifications are available in the country and those that are required.
“This audit is critical to the future of these Islands and it is long overdue.”
The national skills audit, in addition to being used to help form the population policy, must also help form the country’s immigration, health, and education policies, to ensure that these systems are also offering the appropriate programmes and framework that would meet the needs of the current workforce, even while developing a more desirable labour pool for the developing nation.
“With these guiding frameworks, it is the aim of my ministry to reduce the timeframe for the processing of work permit applications, across the board, and enable greater scrutiny of applications, to ensure that the persons being requested are absolutely needed, and capable of fulfilling the work which they are committing to do,” Astwood said.
Already there is significant progress in the streamlining of processes within the employment unit, which has brought greater transparency and accountability to the operation and management of the unit.
He added that these have in turn brought greater efficiency in the few short weeks that this work has begun.
Meanwhile, as it relates to the issue of labour disputes not being completed, Astwood said that his ministry will be undertaking a review of the legal framework and policies, as well as staff resources of the Labour Tribunal in an effort to address this.
However, he stated that one of the main reasons there are so many disputes in the work place, is the fact that many employees are not aware of their rights, and either through fear, frustration, or feelings of inadequacy, they are unable to articulate their concerns to their employers in a constructive manner.
“We will also be seeking to have more disputes settled by the Labour Commission therefore, lessening the number of cases reaching the tribunal,” he promised.
