He recalled that Health Minister Carvin Malone recently said being born here is not enough to acquire jobs anymore and persons reacted angrily to this.

“There are some people in the Virgin Islands that think that they can sit and just get a job because they’re from the Virgin Islands. And [they] do not perform on the job and expect that they’re going to be backed up with that kind of behaviour,” Premier Fahie said at a recent press conference.

“That cannot be the mindset that we will have. That’s not the DNA of a Virgin Islander. We work hard for what we want,” the Premier added.

The Premier made the comments against the backdrop of a promised initiative to be implemented at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) that is expected to upskill locals through various training programmes.

“So we’re going to be pushing very hard to connect the jobs now that are available in the BVI with the people of the Virgin Islands through what the Minister of Education and the Minister of Labour have done with HLSCC, with Labour and with the job fair that’s coming on very soon,” Premier Fahie said.

One boss at a time

Turning his attention to persons who are already employed, the Premier said they should ensure that they work hard for the hours that they’re being paid and give their employers a fair eight hours of work where applicable.

“Even for persons who come from abroad, we have to do that because it’s a lot to run a business. You cannot run a business employing persons and they want to be the boss and you’re the boss,” he added.

The Premier then expressed confidence in the local workforce and said that, despite the challenges, locals are largely up to the task.

“Our people can do it, they’ve been doing it. But there are a few of our people who have the mindset that they don’t want a job unless it’s the right job for them to work in,” he stated.

The Premier challenged persons to make sacrifices; encouraging them to take available jobs and build themselves towards first making an income before moving on from there.