Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

Charles

WESTERN BUREAU:

Applicants requesting work permits are expected to know their fate by next Wednesday, as the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, will today resume the processing of applications.

Some 600 applications are currently on the minister's desk, many of them up for renewal, having been in limbo since the ministry temporarily suspended processing weeks ago.

The minister made the announcement yesterday, at a meeting with Spanish hotel developers, trade union representatives and stakeholders involved in the construction industry, at a luncheon at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort in Montego Bay.

"The ones rejected will be known and the ones approved will be made aware. One thing is for sure, we won't reject any genuine application," Mr. Charles assured the large gathering.

Hundreds have left island

Since the minister gave an ultimatum four weeks ago that he planned to crack down on illegal workers who had flooded the island, he said hundreds of foreign personnel have left the island. "I have had reports from airline agents," he revealed to The Gleaner.

Keen on not sending the wrong message to the investors present, which included The Palmyra, Gran Bahía Príncipe, Fiesta, Excellence, Riu and Iberostar, Mr. Charles recommitted the Government's support for foreign investment.

"I am here today to let you know that the Government wants to forge a viable partnership, which will be mutually beneficial to capital and labour," he said, before outlining some specific initiatives that would give meaning to this partnership.

The Labour Minister suggested the ministry's involvement in the early stages of the development projects; the involvement of the trade unions to enhance labour and management relations; and, the massive certification of workers in the country forming the foundation of this partnership.

Bring workers not available here

Admitting that some 70 per cent of the Jamaican workforce was not certified, the minister said he was inviting the investors to bring workers to Jamaica who they cannot find here, but said: "We cannot allow you to come to Jamaica with workers if we have workers here to fill the slot."

He argued that if the person was coming to Jamaica for a certain amount of time, there should be a Jamaican understudying that person. "Because we are not going to renew that permit in two or three years," he cautioned.

The island has been forced to import skilled workers in areas such as engineering and the medical field over the years, but in recent times, even tillers are imported to carry out work on the hotels under construction.

"We have given permission for supervisors and found that they are operating as contractors and so the Jamaican subcontractor is being denied the opportunity," the minister pointed out