While giving remarks at the HireBVI Career Expo at the weekend, Turnbull said both Labour and Immigration departments are in the service industry. He said they must, therefore, ‘serve the people’, who he described as ‘the customers’.

Turnbull further said it is important that his ministry understands the issues that employers in the territory are facing. However, he said he does not only want to hear the problems but he wants to involve employers in the problem-solving component of the job.

“We want you to give us solutions to those problems so we could implement them. From a ministry standpoint, we are going to be implementing some changes. From a Labour standpoint, we are going to be implementing some changes,” Turnbull said.

“Throughout this territory, you are going to see some things change and some people shifted. As the Premier [Dr Natalio Wheatley] has rightfully said, it is going to be uncomfortable. But for it to be uncomfortable, you are going to have to get used to being uncomfortable,” the Labour and Immigration Minister said.

In giving his remarks, Turnbull told residents who attended the expo that the Labour Department will be taking employment in a different direction in the Virgin Islands. He said he knows and understands the difficulties and challenges people are faced with regarding the areas that fall under his ministry.

“Specifically work permits and specifically being able to get work permits on time; I am saying this, and I am saying this the only way I know how – those issues that you have will be addressed immediately. In order for this to work,” Turnbull explained.

He reassured attendees that he will continue to do everything to ensure that whatever solutions are needed are implemented and enforced immediately.