Submission from Mr Barrington Williams
Turks and Caicos Islands
I wish to voice my concerns to the British Government
on the current running of the dependant territory of the Turks
& Caicos Islands in the British West Indies. It is deeply
saddening when a country supposing to be a democratic colony of
the United Kingdom of Great Britain takes delight in violating
both the local and international laws. These laws have been put
in place to ensure that ones individual rights are not violated
but that their rights are protected to the full extent of the
law of the land and governing territories. However, this does
not seem to be the case here in these "Beautiful by Nature"
islands. I will list my concerns below with regards to the Government
of the Turks & Caicos Islands:
— As a citizen of this country
it is appalling for me to see how disgraceful the ministerial
system of this present Progressive National Party whom I have
supported have behaved as they pretend to be operating a lawful
regime; it is an administration that is only interested in that
of their immediate families and cronies.
— These "beautiful by nature"
islands are now home to modern day slavery, the slaves have now
become the slave masters. This is due to the fact that the expatiate
communities such as the Chinese, Philippines, Mexican and other
foreign nationals do not know the laws of this country, and are
therefore taken advantage of. They are being paid way below the
minimum wage of US$5.00 an hour and have signed illegitimate contracts
in their own native countries that are not in accordance with
the Labour Ordinance 2004 of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
— There are foreign nationals
that are being taken advantage of as they need to pay for their
own housing (this is contrary to the Labour Ordinance 2004, Part
VIII, 105 (2) It shall be the employer's responsibility to find
or provide suitable housing (proper conditions of health and comfort)
for his employees who are required to obtain work permits under
the Immigration Ordinance. Some of these expatriate workers are
living in accommodation that is not up to standard, while others
have to pay for their own accommodation. Some employees working
for hotels such as Beaches Resort & Spa Turks and Caicos are
not even being paid the minimum wage, not even an hourly rate,
rather on a commission basis, which is contrary to the Labour
Ordinance. The majority of the expatriate workers at Beaches have
to pay for half of their work permits which happens to be contrary
to the Labour Ordinance 2004 and the Immigration Ordinance. This
law was ratified by the Supreme Court of the Turks & Caicos
Island on 25 June 2007 where it was stipulated that according
to the Labour Ordinance the Employer must pay for the entire work
permit. Currently the International Labour Organisation, which
these islands are a part, is investigating the treatment of workers
on these islands.
— This current administration
campaigned and assured their local indigenous race would be first
with the growth and development process of the country, also that
locals would be given fair opportunities to advance themselves
and excel to higher height. This indeed was and still is a lie
as foreign nationals are the ones who hold the key positions and
there are hardly any places where locals are placed in key positions
with the exception of those being paper local business partner/shareholder
of a company. Usually a stipulation of the work permit is that
the person will train up a local to take over the position, however,
this is generally not the case and it seems that the Labour Department
turns a blind eye to this situation. It makes one wonder, do these
corporate institutions have the various government departments
in their pockets, so to speak.
— Intimidation and victimisation
is much prevalent with this present administration; if you do
not abide by this government standards such as a supporter of
their party or comply with their policies then you are ill treated.
It seems that if you do not support this government then when
you try to get something done through the government, legitimately,
there are delays, specifically such as if you are trying to get
a liquor license for a restaurant and you will not bow to the
appropriate minister. The premier whom I refer seems to be a "want
to be" dictator like his good friend Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Racism is on the rise in the Turks and Caicos
Islands especially on the "Private" island of Big Ambergris
Cay but it is useless for one to fight this because the ministers
seem to be deep in the pocket of the investors. The only hope,
if one has the courage, he would take the matter before the Labour
Tribunal in order to get some sort of justice.
In closing I have given a true statement with
regards to the on going situation in the dependant territory of
the Turks & Caicos Islands. I am optimistic that appropriate
measures will be taken to stop the on going oppression and the
abuse of human rights so that empowerment of the local indigenous
will be taken into account with the growth and development process
of these islands.
15 October 2007
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