anuny

The Island is trying its level best to develop a financial industry without much headway. Other islands are much ahead in terms of unterstanding how to grow a very complicated and complex industry.

Working permits in the nacent growth induestries would be easier; but one needs at least a degree and some experience in the financial sector.

Sarah, the island as you know is small; becoming a snitch is not going to get you much. As you are aware tourism and agriculture exports are both down. Attracting investments is not easy, you might be seen as someone who is hurting business.

Yesterday night, I and my friend were the only folks in the restaurant for hours, and this repeats itself restaurant after retaurant in Rodney Bay area, that line up in tourist friendly areas, low season aside, more businesses will close.

I vaguely recollect someone mentioning last year, that in the low skills low education job market in terms of permits - preference would be given to a CARICOM than a rank outsider.

In the end it is your call. Your friend is not exactly innocent of the current situation.

anuny

But Piton does brew bottled Guinness under license

Pistolpete2

I'll give you that but bottled St Lucia Guinness does not an Irish Pub make.

Pistolpete2

St Lucia will not be able to develop any meaningful financial services industry unless it opens itself up for access from more quality global expertise in the short-run. The current work permit "system" which does not function as an open book, coupled with high income taxes acts as a major disincentive to foreigners considering setting up international financial services businesses here. The countries which have prospered, such as Bermuda, Cayman and BVI saw the opportunities very early on in the 70s and made work permits relatively cheap and much easier to come by. They recognised that they weren't going to get anywhere without the foreign - and by foreign I mean the best and most experienced entrepreneurs in their field - expertise. The rest of the Caribbean and St Lucia are far too protectionist as regards the granting of work permits.

If I were married to a Bermudian, I would be able to compete in the Bermuda job market on an equal footing with Bermudians. This has made Bermudian-spouses attracted to working in Bermuda and bringing back skills to enhance the economy. No such opportunity exists in St Lucia and spouses get nothing until they get citizenship in what could be years so they lose interest. I have over thirty years of international financial business and senior management experience in Bermuda in tourism, aviation support and light manufacturing and there is no interest here in tapping into that kind of knowledge base from incoming spouses of St Lucians. What an incredible waste and apparent indication that there really isn't any intention of looking to this area as a major employment and income source.

It all would seem to suggest that in the absence of any real complaining from the educated and business elements of St Lucia society, the Government would be inclined to believe that the country would rather go it alone than seek any sort of partnerships outside of the Caribbean community, apart from with Taiwan.

Added to this, the system is known to be corrupt and the St Lucia NDC is just a toy to be played with for power. I personally have seen no indication in my five years here that the government is making any effort to develop international business even though it is sometimes talked about in the annual budget.

For starters, St Lucia would need to develop a free trade area with special income and corporate tax concessions for offshore business trading in that area. There is something similar in Dublin in Ireland.

As a result of a lack of diverse business opportunities, all emphasis is on tourism and as you say in slow season the saturated restaurant sector is "full" of empty restaurants. I'm not actually sure that tourism is down much though in spite of the increases in APD negatively impacting UK arrivals. The problem is that there was far too much development around the time of Cricket World Cup 2007 and the beds provided have never been needed or filled.

Remember that a work permit granted to a non-Caricom citizen is roughly four times as expensive as that granted to a Caricom one. This alone would encourage hiring from within the community. If as a Caricom citizen you can show paperwork indicating that you have skills there is no need for a work permit under CSME.

In this case, the illegal employee actually arrived in St Lucia on the work permit legally but it was never renewed. So there is not that much "dirt" that sticks to her but her only "right" would have been to go to the authorities early on when this happened, whereupon she would have lost her job or worse. This is why I have always said that the criminal is not the employEE but the employER and the rules should state that fact. Apparently the Obama Administration is changing things to make that the case in the US as we speak.

anuny

I agree. What takes a year in Cayman to achieve, takes few years in SLU.

I am yet to see meaningful study on the negative impact of ADP by region.

Cricket WC in West Indies was a commercial flop.

I am painfully aware. Walk through the market at Castries and see the number of Jamaican Rastas

I doubt it. Only the Employer arrived legally then lapsed. No amount of laws on the book will help as long as the locals do not take it seriously.

What was it about Obama ?

Pistolpete2

Ok, sorry, looking back I see that now.

Sarah1234

Everyone thank you for your help, the situation has been resolved and I did not have to be a "snitch" for it to happen - what goes around comes around.

Thanks once again.

pgtips

Nice one Sarah, I am glad everything sorted itself out.