Cayman removed from Philippines worker’s black list

| 06/06/2012

International-departure-05.jpg(CNS): The Cayman Islands has finally been removed from the Philippines government’s workers black list after what officials described as “diplomatic negotiations involving many communiqués and two visits” to Cayman by representatives from the Asian country. Cayman was placed on the black list last November and listed as a country which Nationals from the Philippines were banned from working because of a failure to protect Filipino workers here. Local government officials said Cayman had been placed on this list “erroneously” by the Filipino Overseas Employment Administration which believed the jurisdiction did not have sufficient safeguards in place to protect the rights of migrant workers.

A local effort to reverse the decision involved the Deputy Governor’s Office and the Attorney General as well as the British Embassy in Manila working with the Philippine government on the matter, on behalf of the Governor’s Office.

On 22 May 2012, official said Wednesday that the government of the Philippines had confirmed that the Cayman Islands have been compliant in safeguarding the rights of immigrant workers. Thirty other countries (including Egypt, India, Nicaragua, and the Turks and Caicos) engaged in similar processes, and have also been removed from the list.

Welcoming the announcement, Cayman Islands’ Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said, “Filipino nationals constitute the second-largest group of expatriate workers, which should indicate that the government and people of the Cayman Islands are indeed very welcoming of them – as we are of the more than 100 other nationalities which live and work in harmony in these Islands.”

Manderson also praised the efforts of all those involved in collating and providing the evidence to confirm Cayman’s compliance regime.

Samuel Bulgin said government was delighted Cayman had been removed from the list of non-compliant countries which he believed was been premature, and could have been avoided if the appropriate consultation had taken place before the list was issued.
Art Ursua, the Cayman Islands’ unofficial consul for the Philippines, also welcomed the acknowledgment that these Islands are in compliance with the protection guarantees listed under the Department of Foreign Affairs.

There are currently 2620 people from the Philippines on work permits in the Cayman Islands according to the latest quarterly report from the immigration department, representing 13% of the migrant workforce. As Filipino workers have been migrating to Cayman for many years, growing numbers are also becoming permanent residents and status holders extending ties between the two countries.
 

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Race to the bottom……

    Labour is provided cheap so in theory goods/services should get cheaper or not inflate.

    With all due respect to the hard working people of the Phillipines they just don't spend as much as the Jamaican's and other (Caribbean) nationalities they have displaced for cheaper wages.

    Also, I have not noticed things have gone down in price despite the rise of cheaper labour.

    Too, I have noticed that often times they do not use many local services thus depriving business of own demand or internal demand.

    Theydo give great customer service in compasion to the money they get paid!

    Another point, they sometimes live in very communal accomodations which reduces demand for local landlords.  I recall politicans use to say Caymanians build places to rent and this is still popular investment however, if the trend continues well they will get burned.

    I think the problem here is that we have some in the civil service or government who act like they have the whiteman's burden but it is so funny that the whiteman's burden is so hypocritical and few provisions are actually made for the advancements of other nationalities inside some countries..the stats speak for themselves.

    We are the victims as much as these poor phillipinos and the government needs to recognize that they shouldn't be concerned with bearing the cross and do whats best in the interest of the majority not a small segement of the population.  Capitalism unregulated is a self consuming beast that will destroy this country or any country for that matter.

     

    I don't know what the right choice is in terms of labor supply but I think the government should study it and see who is better for the entire economy and stop talking foolishness about 2000 or 3000 people leaving and start jumping up and down

     

  2. Anonymous says:

    Noooo!!!!

  3. Da Bracster says:

    Our so called government seems more concerned about what these people think of Cayman rather than what our own people think. Had the shoe been put on the other foot and Cayman blacklisted Phillipino workers i bet you would have an international incident United Nation's complaint filed with UK. We ain't holding no gun to nobody head to work here when i last checked so this should not be and issue. Cheap Labour for certain unscupulous business people driving the powers that be to act no doubt while their Caymanian people remained unemployed. What if our leaders had just a little integrity!

    • Anonymous says:

      Very few in power give a tinker's damn about indentured slavery. Many of them take advantage of the cheap labour.

    • Anonymous says:

      What if you had the sense to see beyond your beer bottle and get of your lazy butt and apply for the same jobs? The fact is you won't because they will do the job tens times better and for less money.

      Just go back fishing and to crying in your beer and let the real workers get on with making Cayman an economic success.   

    • Anonymous says:

      The unscrupulous business people are the Caymanian people.  As are your corrupt leaders. But you knew that.  How's that new driveway?

    • Anonymous says:

      My god, you people think? You wouldn't think so reading some of this garbage.

  4. LOL22 says:

    Great. Can the government now remove themselves from the Caymanian Blacklist?

  5. Verticalpig says:

    "… Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said, “Filipino nationals constitute the second-largest group of expatriate workers, which should indicate that the government and people of the Cayman Islands are indeed very welcoming of them."

     

    Translation:  "They work cheap, they work hard and they stay out of trouble."

    • Anonymous says:

      Like the old south welcomed the black slaves?  Welcome and respect are two very different things Franz.  Caymans reputation for welcomeing "others" is as well documented as its lack of respect for them.   Good job getting off the black list.  Good luck changing your reputation. 

    • Annoymous says:

      Stay out of trouble, man you better get to Court and see how many are up on that list for Drunk driving, disorderly conduct, theft, etc.  Please speak what you know not what you think you know.  SMH

  6. Anonymous says:

    More Filipinos women will be coming that mean less cayman man for cayman women, sounds good to me lmao!

  7. Anonymous says:

    So nice of our government to do this for them. I can always count on them to lead this country in the right way. Question for you though, why would you care so much about this anyway? What benefits are we gaining from this, what's in it for us? Answer that and I'll respect you more. We need help too.

    • Anonymous says:

      Because you need them. They are hard working and honest, bringing up scores of Caymanian children and expats alike and offer excellent customer service where ever they are employed. Like it or not, they and all other expats are the engine of the current economy, without them you would be totally finished.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yeah, we need them alright. Look around, we have the space. Oh, and we are not struggling with unemployment right now. Bring them, bring them all.

        • Anonymous says:

          No-one is struggling with unemployment except those who do not want jobs they consider beneath them or who choose to be unemployable through drink, drugs or criminal history.

      • Annoymous says:

        Which scores of Caymanian children??? They are employed by the expatriate managerial personnel in this country so give me a break!

        • Anon says:

          that's only because expats can't hire Jamaican nannies. Caymanians can and that's who they prefer to hire

    • Like It Is says:

      No help is needed.  If someone cannot make it here as a local then they could not make it anywhere.  Self-pity and entitlement are the real problems not a lack of government help.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Congrats to all involved in the effort to get this rectified.

  9. Anonymous says:

    oh yah

  10. Yaay (Not!) says:

    What an accomplishment — NOT!

     

    How much time and money was spend dealing with this ? Are we that hard up for cheap labour these days ? Hire Caymanian!!!! 

  11. Anonymous says:

    How much did they pay them? They must have been blind not to see the disgusting treatment meted out to all lower paid expat workers.

  12. Anonymous says:

    "Samuel Bulgin said government was delighted Cayman had been removed from the list of non-compliant countries which he believed was been premature, and could have been avoided if the appropriate consultation had taken place before the list was issued".

    Spot on. Hopefully those expats who were jumping on the bandwagon to deride Cayman will now cease.
     

  13. Knot S Smart says:

    Good…

    Lots of pretty Filipinas soon come…

  14. LCB says:

    Shame on Cayman for stooping to this level. Cayman should never have even cared that it was on their blacklist.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      "Stooping to this level". What a silly comment. You're just disappointed. Obviously it should care that it is on a list that will give these Islands a bad reputation (and unjustifiably so) and make it more difficult to recruit labour elsewhere. If suddenly 3,000 people have to leave the Islands that would be a detriment.    

      • Anonymous says:

        If 3000 people suddenly had to leave that would be 3000 salaries that would (hopefully) stay here..   how can that possibly be bad?   I just dont understand the maths in the governments equation…   Permit fees = Revenue,  Expat Salaries = 90% off that money sent out of the Cayman Islands…  Tell me how that make sense?  Money In/Money Out..  I guess its just like $#x these days.. in and out.. you get the satisfaction of seeing them come and go.. In the end we are all screwed.  kmt

        • Anonymous says:

          DOH !!! '3000 salaries that would stay here'. Honestly, why do you think the exats are here in the first place? Yes, it's because they work for pay that a Caymanian wouldn't get out of his lazy bed for and they work ten times harder. Its not rocket science genius, just plain and simple economics plus market need.

        • Anonymous says:

          You are an idiot. There is not a single job that Filipinos are taking away from Caymanians. Filipinos do the jobs that Caymanians do not want to do. I am speaking as a multi-generational Caymanian.  

          • Anonymous says:

            Well said, the voice of reason and integrity. It is all to easy to blame expat labour for all of Cayman'semployment ill's, after they are only responding to a need and desire in the market. Most of the jobs that are taken by expats are lower paid and mostly unskilled, although not exclusively.

            One hears the same old line churned out over and over again, 'expats are taking jobs and money from Caymanians'. Well, that is fundamentally untrue as most of these positions are unwanted by Caymanians in the first instance. How many gardeners, waste collectors, beach cleaners, labourers, cleaners, home helps, au pairs, bar staff, waiting staff, hotel staff or shop staff are Caymanian, not many? Contrary to popular belief, you are not born bankers nor can you all be highly educated, someone has to do the other stuff and do it well.

        • Anonymous says:

          Right!  Get rid of all the expat doctors and just replace them with Caymanians.

          Get rid of all the expat construction, accountants, restaurant, mechanics, etc. and replace them with Caymanians.  Now that would be an education for you.

    • Cross Dressed says:

      LCB 13:47  YOu are absolutely correct, but Paper Caymanians and born Caymanians   like the sucking up,   Besides  the Phillipinas TAKE GOOD care of the business and home.

      • Anonymous says:

        Nah true Mark?

         

      • Anonymous says:

        You're ALL paper Caymanians. That is unless you can trace your unbroken lineage to the first settlers from Europe. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Everyone knows many of you don't care.  Thats how you got on the list in the first place.  
      This will not change Caymans reputation.

    • Anonymous says:

      Before we start discussing any Philipino list why should we not look at home first. Caymanians should put the philipinos on this list and many others as they are not be treated fairly in the workforce themselves. But congrads your Government is looking out for you wish we could say the same.