Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

Locals should lose their jobs last if lay-offs are happening - Wheatley

Locals should lose their jobs last if lay-offs are happening - Wheatley

Employers in the British Virgin Islands are being told that if the need arises to lay-off staff to keep their businesses afloat during the COVID-19 crisis, BVIslanders and Belongers should be last to lose their jobs.

That advice is coming from Labour Minister Vincent Wheatley who was speaking in the House of Assembly on Monday, June 8.

His comments were made against the backdrop that he has received multiple complaints indicating that locals were being targeted when lay-offs are being done.

He said: “[There are] some really good employers in this country who do well by their staff. They’re offering them zero-interest loans [and] shopping vouchers. But then it got a next set who are using this COVID-19 to abuse their workers. And, sometimes they are choosing the Belongers first to abuse!

“I remember years ago when you see a job advertising in the paper you see ‘BVIslander’ and ‘Belonger’ first or preferred. Now, they turn that around. When they come to the abuse of people, its BVIslanders and Belongers first.”

He said the proper thing for employers to do is to have a staff meeting and inform their employees of the decisions of the company.

“We expect you to not lay off Belongers and BVIslanders first. We expect you to lay them off last,” Wheatley stated, adding that the employers in questions are creating “excuses” to justify their actions.


Responding to complaint in the workplace

Wheatley said he decided to respond to complaints by showing up at a particular workplace last Thursday.

He said that upon his arrival, he was ‘appalled’ by what he saw. Wheatley said he witnessed employees who were seeking some ‘documentation’ being barred from entering the establishment in question.

The minister did not go into detail but said he tried to seek an audience with the manager of the company but was met with ‘disrespect’ instead.

“I called, the manager didn’t answer the phone. I WhatsApp, the manager, didn’t return the WhatsApp,” Wheatley recalled.

He said he visited the establishment with a team from the Labour Department, including the Labour Commissioner, and asked to see the manager.

The minister said they waited for some time but eventually left without seeing the manager who was inside the building.

“I said: ‘this is something else’ - the level of disrespect! But you cannot be here as an investor and think you can do as you want because we need you and we won’t survive without your presence. I find that totally, totally unacceptable. I mean if you can disrespect me as a minister of government, an elected representative, I could imagine the poor employees what they going through. And I was so glad I went because you hear stories all the time,” Wheatley stated.

He further assured the House of Assembly that he will be making follow-ups.

“I could never dreamed that this could happen in my BVI. This was an eye-opener for me and I have to go and really rethink how we go about doing business in this country,” he stated.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×