Cayman banned for Filipino workers
(CNS): Workers from the Philippines have been banned from coming to work in the Cayman Islands by that country’s government because it says the rights of its people are not protected. The Filipino government’s employment administration has issued an order, which was published on Wednesday, listing more than forty countries where its workers would no longer be deployed. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Filipino nationals are banned from working in the listed destinations until those countries improve the working conditions for its migrant workers to protect them from abuse.
The order says that "the State shall allow the deployment of overseas Filipino Workers only in countries where the rights of Filipino migrant workers are protected" and where there are existing labor laws and social laws protecting the rights of workers, including migrant workers or, among other conditions, the country has signed a bilateral agreement to protect it nationals with the government of the Philippines.
According to the new legislation, which was signed by Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, the Secretary of Labor and Employment, the country’s department of foreign affairs will now issue, through its foreign posts, certification to countries where Filipinos will beallowed to work, that specify the provisions of the receiving country's labour or social laws and policies.
The government has stated that Filipinos currently in banned countries will be allowed to remain until the end of their contracts but until the countries on the list enter into some form of agreement with the Philippines’ government or their protections are deemed to improve, no more workers will be deployed to the countries legally.
The government stated that at present 41 countries are not compliant, which includes several other overseas territories as well as the Cayman Islands. Although many of the countries listed do not employ large numbers of Filipinos, here in Cayman they make up the third largest group of imported workers and the ruling could have a significant impact.
At the end of 2010 there were 2,547 work permit holders from the Philippines in Cayman, according to the immigration website.
The country is one of the world’s major exporters of labour, with almost ten percent of its workforce going overseas and sending back remittances. But the government has been under mounting pressure to do more to protect Filipinos who work abroad. Now some critics say the new proposals could actually have the opposite effect by driving Filipinos to work illegally, with even fewer safeguards than they had before.
See order below and full list of banned countries.
Category: Local News
Repost IT! Repost IT!
You are so vain; maybe you need to take a trip and see who are the housekeepers turning up for work in Upper St. Andrew. You need to take your dumb head out of the sand and realised that Jamaica has lots of diplomatic relationships with various countries and people from these desitnations have been residing and working in Jamaica long before they heard of the Cayman Islands, hence Jamaica would have already signed the Convention.
Why dont you people grow up and leave Jamaica alone. The Philipines Government made a decision about 20 countires and because Jamaica isnot on that list; you want to mow the government down; things dont always go your way my friend; not eveyone is small minded like some of us Caymanians.
13:58 of Nov 3. A fraid a yuh like puss. How yuh so lie? Yuh tink any Jamaican ago go pon wan bus fi talk whey dem do dem boss? Yuh too lie. Jamaicans are not idiots. Dem no fool fool. Jamaicans kno dat spitting in a dem boss food is an uncouth thing to do and dem nah go do it. Stop tell lie pon the Jamaicans. Tell us what you did to your boss and stop being impish.
I come from Half Way Tree my sister comes from St. Catherine and I have four cousins from Papine, Duhaney Park, Dunrobin Avenue and Hagley Park Road. If you hire all 6 of us you will have 6 new nationals in your country.
Enough said about the Filipinos and the Jamaicans. But…is Bush back yet?
Listen to me 12:01 of November 3rd post. Even the green Iguanas are fooling you.
To 12:36- bullshit. When I was attending school in Jamaica it was 3Mil people. That was over 30 yrs ago. Since then there are more births that are not registered compared to who have died. Did you know that 50 Jamaicans are born every 9 hour on the 9th hour and Jamaicans make love every 24 hours on the 24th hour.
Their "own community" strategy…………
I remember a couple of years ago the Filipinos RESIDING in Cayman (work permit holders) petitioned the Immigration Department to demand the right to form their own community within Grand Cayman.
I see this move by the Filipino govt, as another strategic move of putting forward the same petition to our authorities – a twist of the arm to avoid further negaqtive international reputational damage but I think your govt may have failed at that beca;use our premier has already done that for us.
The way I see it, you all being "abused" in the work force is no excuse or reason for your country to ban you all from coming to the Cayman Islands. Join the crew! We Caymanians are abused and are often kept-down by our very own, ignored by the Immigration boards failing to enforce the laws when there has been a direct breach against a Caymanian, and we are also being discriminated against when the Immigration Laws favors other nationalities as Key Employees over the Caymanians.
If you're looking love and respect in this country, my best advice to you all is to go home to your families – that may be the only possible way for you to receive. The Cayman Islands are the metropolitan of the Caribbean. We have over 100 different nationalities here. For one, many of their cultures, morals and values are very different from our Caymanian way of life. Many Caymanians serve the almighty dollar. We cannot change the fundemental way of thinking of any person therefore Cayman will not change anytime soon.
I offer one other piece of advice – when you are a VISITOR in someone's country, please do not attempt to cause segregation and start ill feeling towards yourselves by making demands to the Immigration Department for you to form your own community. You only bring or cause animosity among the people of that country. How do you expect people to respect you if you do not show respect?
Regardless of your plight, you should conside yourselves a very fortunate people as your Govt is willing to take a stand for you, regardless the distance away from home. As for us Caymanians, if we were regarded by our Govt, on a half measure compared to that of your Govt, I think we could be a great people. Unfortunately, our Govt publiclly calls us derogatory names and shouts profanities about us………..we dont have a hope in hell,
I don't understand how the jamaican's can make this into a jamaican thing, this story is about
the filipino's who in my opinion is a harder and more dedicated worker than jamaican's.
we also need to stop referring to caymanian as being 75 percent jamaican too and remember that the real place we all came from was africa as slaves by the europeans.
jamaicans are quick to try to claim caymanians as theirs but don't want to remember the history of where they came from.
we must all love each other and remember we are all gods children from the mother land of africa.
If the Filipinos think Cayman is a slave nation with no workers rights then wow it must be bad.
I see this as fate sorting out a few bad situations on island.
We all know our share of Caymanian men who had failed marriages behind them, as well as many failed relationships and are now running around with unsuspecting Filipino women. Many of these women come from very difficult situation back home and are hoping for better but are finding they have jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
On the flip side we also know our share of Filipino women who are sucking every penny they can get out of unsuspecting Caymanian men.
Hello 14:36—-Jamaica's population is over 4Mil. The drug mules, the murdereres and thieves are only a bubble in the bath tub when compared to the decent, intelligent, kind hearted, educated, and successful Jamaicans. From the Jamaicans who sits on the Bench, , edcucators, scientist, garbage man, musicians, engineers, doctors, Ms. World's, domestic helpers, farmers, Fastest man in the WORLD, the bush docta, the woman who feeds all 7 pickney with cornmeal porridge and sew people clothes in the neighbourhood to ensure that all har pickneys get an education, the part-time beggars and the movie stars, oh YES! 90% out of the 4 million Jamaicans that do exist and subsist amongst us, in Jamaica and all over the world cannot be compared to the NASTY Jamaicans who are only the BUBBLE in the bath tub and which WE 90% do not associate with. A fraction of that 90% lives here and whether you want to believe it or not WE LOVE UNNO. Not one of us whom I described above see any of you as CAYMANIANS, but see all of you as people. People that look just like us. Jamaicans do not have 6 legs and 4 eyes in their face. Neither do Caymanians have claws and 4 nose with fire running from the nose. WE all look alike. Just like how God made us. SO FOR GOD'S sake. Please love each other and pray for each other. I love all of you, so let's get together and feel alright. To the FiliJamPino just be calm and if you can find anyway to assist a Filipino just do that and stop the contention.
If you are going to have any credibility whatsoever you will have to quote accurate facts. According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica Jamaica's population was estimated at 2,705,800 (not over 4m) in 2010. http://statinja.gov.jm/population.aspx. XXXX
There are over 2,000,000 Jamaicans abroad so when you take account of that there are over 5,000,000 strong and not even a 10% would want to live in Cayman.
This situation could have been easily prevented if Immigration here would do what they are supposed to do and uphold the law. They continue to turn a blind eye towards the blatant lies that are put on the work permit application, they fail to cross check and spot check in regards to the employees compensation and insurance coverage etc. so the offenders are often not caught and prosecuted and if caught only get a little slap on their wrist.
In my opinion, if you have been caught to break the labor law, you should be banned from being able to take out work permits for the next few years.
14:27 do not know what $350K is. For your pea brain it is Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars. And that is collected right here in CI$ monthly. Wealth which he created with sweat, steel, cement and wisdom. Today, all that is transformed into $$$ and yes, C.I.$350K monthly rent from expat tenants, both residential and commercial.
Is this a ploy to try and cause embarassment to Cayman Is. so that we can amend our Laws and be flooded with more of same? I don't think so – we don't need to give in to that, we have enough of them here now. If they were being treated so bad as their govt. is say they would not be inviting all their family and friends here to join them, marrying so many Caymanians and multiplying so fast. I say this is a blessing in disguise cause we really have enough of them.
What the Phillipine Govt need to do is deal with their own Phillipinos who lives abroad that exploit their own people by charging them large sums of money and promising good jobs and wages and when they come Cayman and elsewhere it is all a big lie.
They cause them to borrow thousands of dollars to come here and then threaten them if they complain. The ends up working as a helper when they thought they may have been working in an office etc.
THIS IS A FACT AS I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS FROM THERE WHO TOLD ME THAT IS WHAT HAPPENING. I ADVISE THEM TO GO TO IMMIGRATION.
maybe the Phillipine Govt doing Cayman a big favour…do we want this type of thing going on here??? in addition to all the other things happening?
In my opinion there are too many people trying to oversimplify this matter by blaming one side or the other. I believe it is more complex than that. There are a number factors at play here which have brought this matter to a head and caused the Philippine Government to react as they did:
Employers:
Employers in the Cayman Islands have earned a reputation for their efforts to extract ‘something for very little’ out of their employees, particularly the lower wage earners. They scour the world for cheap labor – Jamaica, Honduras, Dominican Republic and the Philippines. They bitch and whine at the potential cost of improved workers’ rights. They have a couldn't care less attitude about what is a realistic living wage. The latter doesn’t necessarily make them any different to employers in any other country, but two factors make Cayman’s situation somewhat different:
1) lack of proper enforcement of the few rights workers have been granted here, and
2) voracious scam artists, who prey on the less fortunate by claiming to be "agents" and who happily feed local employers with as much cheap labor as they can use, abuse and ultimately dispose of at will.
The "Agents":
Recent cases in the USA have demonstrated that these "agents" are merely practicing a thinly disguised form of people trafficking. As mentioned previously in this blog they extract large fees from Filipinos, who come here on bogus contracts with no assured bona fide employment. "Bloody Mary" contends that the "agents" repay loans and pay travel expenses for the new employees. The truth seems to be to the contrary. The employees are the ones paying back loans at exorbitant high interest rates. They have to take out the loans pay the "agents'" excessive fees. These "agents" have no interest in whether the employment here is genuine and no regard for a potential employer’s track record. Their only interest is to get as many people here as possible and line their own pockets. The US cases ended in the prosecution of the "agents" for people trafficking and some bad press for one particular lending company. Even if prosecuting these "agents" under international law seems a stretch, Cayman can use local trade and business licensing laws to rid itself of these scam artists by: identifying these "agents", prosecuting them for trading as recruitment agents without a license and deporting them (it should be noted that the "agents" are for the most part Filipinos).
Workers Rights:
I recall some years back a new Employment Law was proposed that would have supposedly improved workers’ rights. Local business was so opposed to it that it has remained shelved for years. The new minimum wage is inadequate. Simply put – no one can live here on $5 an hour. The law presumably contains provisions to allow government to increase the minimum wage from time to time, but opposition from business is most likely to ensure these increases will be infrequent if ever. In short, the Cayman Islands Government is just paying lip service to workers’ rights.
Conclusion:
The demand for cheap labor has driven the activities of the "agents" (traffickers). The demand is there because there is no realistic minimum wage to "level the playing field" for all lower income workers Caymanian and foreigner alike. These factors have come together to create problems for the Filipino workers here and the Philippines government has reacted in line with a policy that is intended to convince the rest of theworld that it is actively pursuing people traffickers.
To all the Filipinos who see their government’s strong action as a good thing perhaps an opportunity for change and improvement of their working conditions, I say, probably not. It shows the Philippines want to look after you and that is a good thing, however the Philippine Government’s action will most likely change nothing here and the ban is unlikely to be lifted any time soon. Local employers will just look elsewhere for cheap labor.
…But then, as Dennis Miller used to say, "that’s just my opinion. I may be wrong…"
I'm pretty sure that Mac and the Chinese have similar views about human rights…
The headline reads "Cayman ban for Philipino workers" how did this translate into hating Jamaicans? Am i too intelligent or what ? Someone please highlightwhere in the article did it speak about Jamaica & Jamaicans. I missed it.
The Caymanians spewing the Jamaican hatred here need to go back to their christian principles that they boast about daily! Enough of the crap.
CNS you should consider having a section where only bad news re Jamaica and Jamaicans are reported , your readership and comments section would be alive like a raging fire everyday.
I understand that there is a Filipino with a current Caymanian work permit who was visiting her homeland and has not been allowed to return to Cayman since this ban.
If this is true, it means if a Filipino is working here and goes home, he or she is not coming back.
This is a serious matter.
It's the Filipinos choice to work anywhere in this world, we dont talk about who's the better worker, the Philippine Government just do their duties to protect their people who were aiming for a greener pasture while they were outside of their own countries.
Every countries has the right to protect their own people, and give freedom to those people on whatever they choose to live their life.
It's not easy to work abroad and be away from your family (we all know that).
To be a productive and very good worker to the fellow Caymanians, theGov't of Cayman must also protect not only the Filipino workers but all foreign workers from bad treatments especially the quality payment or salary, in exchange of a good service.
Filipinos have good qualities why Caymanians hired them, they were family oriented, fluent in speaking english that most can well understand, good service provider such as cleaning homes, being a nanny, costumer service, office workers etc. and in exchange for those qualities were good treatment moraly, financially and spiritually that the government and community of Cayman Island must provide.
Clearly, this Ruling means that it is not the Filipinos choice to work anywhere in the world.
Why can't we all just get along….
I can recall in the past few years at least 2 deaths of Filipino nationals, the first being the woman who was hit by a car on Shamrock road. She had inadequate health care (XXXX standard), so her hospitalization wasn't fully covered. She was airlifted to Honduras because USA wouldn't accept her insurance, and once her insurance ran out, she died from her injuries.
Then, there was the Filipino who was killed by the college student home for the holidays who was drunk driving.
Since non-Caymanians are not allowed to be buried here, there undoubtedly were very high costs associated with repatriating their bodies back to the Phillipines. Nodoubt these costs were past straight along to the victims' families, and no doubt government agencies were involved in these transactions.
If I were making a list of countries to protect the most vulnerable members of society from coming to work in, I would most defininely have put Cayman on the list as well.
Soooo, Cayman must bear the burden of every person living here? Let us remember that THEY choose to come to these shores for employment…at the expense of themselves and their employer. Government is in it to make money – not babysit or take on any further expenses.
What are the insurance conditions in their home country? Does every Filipino have top notch coverage at home that would ensure that if they were involved in a terrible accident that they would be covered to the hilt? Doubtful.
Cayman provides a security and lifestyle that most nationalities who choose to work here do not find in their own country. We can barely afford to cover our own these days so please tell me how you propose to incorporate every other tom, dick and harry?!
Well, dont get the Tom, Dick and Harry here if you can ill afford it. And how come Cayman is looking down its proverbial nose at sme countries in the Caribbean when they can't afford it? That just goes to show that Cayman is not the rich country it purports to be
Silly comment. People come here to WORK on the express understanding that they should have no expectation of obtaining permanent rights. It is not a question of we shouldn't have people we can't afford to have. The trouble is that people come and then want to change the rules. It is that entitlement mentality at work again.
What ignorance. Are you willing to pay for a social security and national health insurance system that will cover the most vulnerable members of society? Are you willing to pay direct taxes to support that? You are coming to a no direct tax environment and expecting the same benefits as in a high tax country. Either put up or shut up.
The fact is that recently the Cayman Islands govt. footed the bill for Flipino to air-ambulanced out when their health insurance did not cover it. Show a little gratitude.
So the Cayman Islands is responsible because a drunk driver killed someone who happened to be a Filipino?! Drunk driving deaths don't happen anywhere else? It would have been OK if it were a Caymanian? What is your point? You must be drunk.
The irony is that although Caymanians are often accused of it, this reflects the entitlement mentality of many expats on this Island. There is no free lunch, not here, not anywhere.
And where did you get the idea that expats are not allowed to buried here? Where is that law or regulation? I must have missed it in my 40+ years in Cayman.
You are also adressing another issue that goes hand in hand with the issue discussed here.
Health insurances are robbing people blind and provide absolutely horrendous coverage. A lot of us with a "real" health insurance struggle financially once we get ill because the insurance companies find all kind of excuses why not to pay or only pay partially and if they pay, they pay very very late. A lot of doctors refuse to accept the insurance cards to file directly with the insurance companies which by law they are required to do and nothing is being done about it!
Now you can imagine what the situation is once you have only "minimal" insurance coverage which is usally taken out for domestic helpers etc if they should ever get seriously ill or in an accident.
There are 7 billion people in the world and not all of them are Fillipinos therefore, if they can't come here someone else will. Simple really, so i don't understand all of the fuss.
ISSUE:
The concern that my country is putting up is very essential; the welfare and the safety of the Filipino citizen wherever my people maybe. Thats an awesome concern from the Philippine Government showed to her people. KUDOS!!! MABUHAY KA PILIPINAS….NO PLACE LIKE YOU…
With respect if that is your issue and concern and you think Cayman fails in that respect then you should not come here to work or remain here. Your govt. should not have to ban you from coming. Is it because your working conditions here are actually better than you have in the Philippines perchance? If that was the Philippine govt's concern would it not have been better to speak with Cayman govt. about their concerns rather than summarily placing us on a blacklist?
Jamaicans are very smart people. I know several wealthy and successful Jamaicans that came here and saw what we take for granted daily. I even learn that the Jamaican Helpers are now doing computer classes and English classes on weekends at the JGHS. This is an opportunity opened for Caymanians and anybody who so desire to attend. NOT EVEN one Caymanian will attend and it is all FREE. THE Jamaicans work very hard, never late for work, have the right attitude, ride the bikes, walk, cook them lunch, go back to school and elevate themselves right here in Cayman. I know 2 brothers that used to sell conch shells in town and sweep ICCI floors while attending school and working. Today, they both are millionaires. Another Jamaican that used to ride him bicyle with him straw hat, today is a billionaire collecting $350K per month on all his apartments and commerical buildings. AND, I could name plenty more of them who came here with the right attitude and held on to what we take for granted. Let us all now take a page out of the Jamaicans book and improve ourselves.
You make some good points.
"Another Jamaican that used to ride him bicyle with him straw hat, today is a billionaire collecting $350K per month".
A Jamaican billionaire, eh. Is that in Jamaican dollars? He should be earning a lot more than $350K a month if he is a billionaire.
at 21.40 advertising a certain salary and actually getting paid that is another. I am Caymanian and the last 2 jobs I held i was getting paid less tan thee expat and I also had to show them the ropes. I knew how much they got paid almost double, but it was a kept a secret. If I was to approach my boss then I guess i just burnt my bridge and if they(the expat) talked then they will also. Take it or leave it!!
at 21.40 advertising
You're not on the loop of what the issue is all about. Please read the whole story before commenting something. This issue is focus on the social safety of the Filipinos between Employeers and the employee -this includes how they are being treated as an employee-in a humane manner since there's was an alleged issue of exploitation and abused.
I’m sorry. Are you literate?
Is this a secret code left by the Illiterati?
Cayman airways having a sale any takers ,,,,,,,,, any,,,,,,, no ……. o well all talk no action.
I have read through a number of the comments concerning this article and many others on CNS, and I have concluded that Jamacians are wdely hated by Caymanians…. Can someone please tell me why??
You should realise that the majority of Caymanians don't even comment on this forum. Like every other country, Jamaica has good and bad but you must realise that many Jamaicans have committed horrendous crimes here which affected every Caymanian (there are not many Caymanians) so blame your bad Jamaicans for causing such feelings in Cayman and elsewhere.
Jamaicans also hate Jamaicans because there are murders in Jamaica every day and it is not Caymanians going there and committing these crimes. It's your own killing their own so if you hate each other, what do you expect from other nationalities.
Anyway there are Caymaians who love everyone but hate the bad that some do.
Please re-read your comment and see if it makes any sense.
Thesame reason Jamaicans hate Caymanians and their own Jamaicans – bad hearts – but some Caymanians and some Jamaicans are not haters so stop with the foolish comments!
I don't see any reason to conclude that "Jamaicans are widely hated by Caymanians" from the few negative comments on CNS. Incidentally, if you go on to a Barbados newswebsite you will get stronger comments passing back and forth between Jamaicans and Barbadians. It is also true in many other places. Ask yourself what is the common factor?
See
http://bajan.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/barbados-under-attack-from-jamaican-drug-mules/
Jamaciam's r the largess competition we have for job's. We as Caymanain really get on and love Jamaciams but competiting for job's can get really ugly and dirtly after all it is competition for life.
I have only one question: Did the Philippines govt. raised any concerns about the treatment of its workers with the Cayman govt. before placing Cayman on a 'blacklist'? If it did not then this is not really about protecting its people from unreasonable working conditions.
The two nationalities Phillipenos and Jamaicans use little money and parlay it into something big and this cause them to be hated. Some of our local young people only want a new vehicle and they think they are set for life. the two nationalities will drive a beaten up second hand car and go instead for a piece of land or an apartment.
So what does this have to do with them being under payed????? please shine a light on this for me.
yOU GOT THAT WRONG. jAMAICANS DRIVE SOME OF THE BEST CARS THATS IN Cayman, and they spend alot of money at the Fosters food fair too, not to mention the beautiful cars that they own. I ama straight shooting Caymanian, but alot of the crime has been triggered here by them. Because of certain incidences that has occured it brings hard feelings with some Caymanians.
The Prophet is a Caymanian, and I am sorry but I have to take up for the Jamaicans. Number 1 if we go to war with another nation and Jamaicans are here, they are going to fight along side of us. If your bus break down on the road, a Jamaican is the one who will stop to help. If your car get a flat tyre only a Jamaican will stop to help. I only see Jamaicans on people roof top, plastering their wall and hanging doors. They may call them thief yes, but guess what all the others is thieving too. Jamaican cut your hair, paint your nails and file your teeth. Jamaicans are not going to try and take away your husband, but they may accept a top up. Take a trip to the supermarkets day or night, take a trip to the bars, clubs, laundrymat, Busses, restaurants, night clubs, police station, and even the prison and see who is spending money. Sorry but it is Jamaicans. They are not mean people. They do not only shop for rice and chicken for 100 people. Come on Cayman, tell the truth where it is due. Jamaicans contribute much to Cayman. Even the ganja. But we do not want the guns.
So the long and short of it is that I really prefer the Jamaicans, because dont care how much we fight and call them names, they are still our best friend.
even more than friends they are more than likely FAMILY!!!
I'm Caymaian but Jamaicans drive some of the nicest cars and they spend money here, You see them in the hardware stores, supermarkets etc. – big spenders XXXX
Yep, and asking for a discount on a $0.96 item….
LOL. Have you seen some of the cars that Jamaicans drive in Jamaica? Top of the line BMWs and Benz's. It boggles my mind how they can afford it when there is 100% import duty.
When cut in half, shipped in pieces, then welded back together, vehicles such as these avoid the import duty.
To 19:07- I agree with you. I went to bed with a heavy heart. when I read that the same should be exercised to Jamaicans. I analysed the entire situation about Jamaicans and concluded why they are so hated in this island is because they are trendsetters. Jamaicans are some of the smartest, loving, can also be very devious but (rilliance overwhelm their shortcomings) people in this world. IT BOILS DOWN TO PURE JEALOUSY. To this day, I admire the former Prime Minister (PJ Patterson), who learned upon his visit to Cayman, that a Visa system will be imposed upon his people. In a forum of goverment delegates while addressing the Cayman Islands at a hotel on West Bay Road, Mr. PJ Patterson announced that his government will be imposing a Visa to any Caymanian who so desire to travel to his country, Jamaica. Well done Jamaica! Well done P.J. these people are too hateful. We need to stop the HATE towards each other. When my Jamaican great grandfather met my great gandmother (A Bracker) their were no hate or nationality problems between them. It was only pure natural love for each other. We need to return to those days and love each other and bury the jealousy. Not one of us are 100% Caymanian. We are mixed with 75% Jamaicans, 20% English and the other 5% is mixed nationality. Who did Christopher Columbus found when these islands were discovered? Only reptiles. Look around you they are now coming back to claim their islands (The Iguanas).
For someone preaching against hate you sound very hateful!
A Jamaican man told me once: If u meet a Jamaican, and he born after 1950….run!!!! Dat is coming from a JAMAICAN!!! All over da world dey give Trouble!
We all know that Jamaica only imposed a visa on Caymanians out of spite but here you, the 'anti-hate activist', are praising Patterson for it. That, my dear, is pure hate. Jamaica appealed to a principle of "reciprocity" yet did Jamaica impose visas on Bermudians? Americans? Canadians? UK citizens? – in short 2/3 of the world? No. Yet all of these (plus St. Maarten, BVI, Anguilla) have imposed visas for Jamaicans. And we all know why and it is not because Jamaicans are "trendsetters" or because they are "hated".
The green iguanas are imported and breeding faster than the native blues. So for clarity, what do you understand from the afore mentioned? We are indigenous, endangered species.
Having to get a visa to go to Jamaica has never crossed my path. I have no reason to want to go and is not interested in going. For those who have to, they make their own choices and are free to do so.
This feeling perhaps is only being returned. Irecently had to conduct business with two Jamaicans on separate incidences, and I left almost in tears by the way they handled me. For some reason they looked at my face and did not like me most likely because Im Caymanian. If we had a the chance of working in Jamaica and getting all the priveledges that they get here ther would be hard feelings too. On the other hand there are many very decent hard working ambitious kind and loving Jamaicans amongst us that we would almost take out our hearts for. We need to live better amongst each other after all its too late now. But some of us has been hit hard as Caymanians, just imagine when our livelihood is renhomes and the Jamaican tenant look you in the face and tell you that I CANT PAY YOU THIS WEEK AS I HAVE TO PAY MY PARDNOR, AND THAT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR RENT MONEY. Then when its time to collect rent they disappear from the premises and hide out until late at night, these are just some of the incidences that the poor Caymanian have to go through. It would be remise of me not to mention the bus conversations. Have you ever ridden on a bus yet? Well the highlights of the morning ride is tutoring to each other how you perform on your job. Number1, mek sure you eat your breakfast before the Boss, 2 buoy I spit on the food when the Mistress mek me work too hard etc etc etc. lOVE AND RESPECT BEGETS EACH OTHER.
Some how I don't believe this. I believe you are making it up in order to sow the seed of discord between Jamaicans and Caymanians.
You seem to have adhd.
WHAAAAA !?!?!!!
Right at the heels of a breather from the roll-over, now our own government is bent on shooting the golden goose!
Makes sense. NOT!
I do not understand what the thumb-downers do not like about the comment.
I think the poster is just saying that the Filipinos who are just rolled-over, had been rolled-over, or soon will be rolled-over are just breathing a sigh of relief because of the temporary suspension of the Roll-over and now their own government itself is bent on banning them from returning, thereby in a sense, killing the geese that lays the golden eggs! that's why it does not make sense!
I always prefer when a Government is cleaning up its own backyard before it tackles the backyard of another country.
The entire world ought to be ashamed of the mere fact that such a news story can exist in the year 2011.
In effect, the Philippines are slave traders within the context of the modern global economy.
Yet the world wonders why we are facing an economic crisis. The solution that we constantly hear about is the creation of jobs, jobs, jobs!
(If we take Cayman for an example – we have high unemployment yet a 50 / 50 : native / expat split.)
When one examines the menial jobs within America, the UK and the EU we see a similar thing taking place – tons of jobs that pay too little money for one to survive on – yet these regions has never before boasted so many rich millionaires and billionaires.
(Granted, there are many instances of too much pride as well – but that is not a "Cayman" issue by any means. E.g. I don't see many American-born orange pickers, British-born tube station cleaners or German-born gardeners – and believe me, not all citizens in those countries are educated beyond those job levels!)
Slavery still exists in this world and the typical approach of big business is to locate its services either by way of importation of exportation.
So sad to see that our "leaders" and those at the top seem to have forgotten that every great and successful nation was built from the bottom up.
The "bottom" has been neglected and mistreated for decades now and what we are witnessing is its falling out.
I cannot speak to the accuracy of the claims in this report but I hope the situation is not as bad as described.
* Lastly, once again I encourage my people for us to DIVERSIFY our perspective and approach to "work" and its remuneration.
Until we do so every other "solution" to our problems is nothing but a flimsy band-aid over a compound fracture.
While I rarely agree with him, in this instance Whodatis is spot on.
I've been Cayman before, and so far Cayman treat us friendly and hospitality, even as
we are an OFW. Even the environment there is very helpful, clean air and good sorroundings, less people but I' think people there are friendly, even other Ex-pats there.
One question I have is how many Caymanians will apply for the Jobs that these guys leave behind? From what I hear it’s the type of work the Caymanians do not want to do.
I see three possible outcomes to this. 1. As the Philippine worker numbers dwindle, businesses including a lot of Cayman Owned companies will import labor from somewhere else like Jamaica and that population will grow in Cayman. 2. Companies will fold from the lack of Labor that they can afford or 3. They will have to pay higher wages to attract locals to these jobs and the cost will be passed on to the consumers raising prices for everything across the board and making the Cost of Living in Cayman even higher.
Please don't be concerned about the plight of Cayman after your departure – it will survive as it did prior to your arrival.
No, Caymanians will simply start looking elsewhere in some other poor country. The Philippines are pretty darn far away! There will be employment brokers bringing in workers from China and Big Mac will take the credit.
We should have seen something like this coming. We should never permit ourselves to become dependent on any nationality. This is just a strong arm tactic by the Phillipines. The correct response is to recruit from elsewhere. They have a great deal more to lose than we do. But of course this govt. does not have the stomach for that.
The Phillipines have learned that Cayman is afraid of being on its lists – FATF, OECD, Sen. Levin's etc. so now they are trying it on. Getting off lists that other people create at will is a fool's errand. Capitulating will set a bad precedent.
Cayman would never treat Filipinos badly, after all Caymanian constantly tell us Cayman is a good christian nation and Filipinos are mostly Christian
The Filipinos are sometimes treated badly by their expat employers including in some cases fellow Filipinos.
Yes, I've heard more than one story about that. Now even their Government is treating the poor buggers bad.
The Cayman government should be absolutely ashamed the way it fails to protect low-paid workers. All those who support a minium wage of $5.00 per hour — including Ezzard — should hang thei heads in shame for proposing such a low figure. These people should restrict their own spending to $900.00 pcm and see how they cope. Ezzard would die of hunger!
This is so true! Anyone working for $5/hr would have to depend on assistance from family, government or otherwise, to survive. I don't know anyone thinks that getting a law passed for a minimum wage of $5/hr is such an accomplishment. It's more that the $3/3.50 that some greedy employers are paying, but it is still not sufficient to maintain an acceptable level of existence.
More jobs for Caymanians!
How ignorant must a person be to agree with this article? The Cayman Islands is not an island that you come to and lay down what rights you want. Why? BECAUSE IT'S NOT YOUR COUNTRY. If life is so amazing in the Philippines, why do they continue to find work abroad. It would be considered an insult for a Caymanian to go abroad and demand they have the same rights as the man who has roots in that country (this is not to suggest that basic human rights should be neglected). Here we do not neglect human rights, especially seeing as not one of them were forced to be here. Let the Phillipines do as she pleases for her people but let Cayman take this as an example of another country taking care of their own people no matter where they are. It's time Cayman 'grows a pair' and starts looking out for her own people.
"When" Cayman grows a pair or I should say "if" they ever do then they can afford to get away with abusing its work force. Those who think getting rid of good workers is a good thing most likely still think the rollover was good for the island. Only time will tell what the consequenses will be but one thing is for sure you will deserve what you get.
This is a topic about Phillipinos, yet the hatemongers have to find a way to include Jamaicans. Stick to the topic being discussed. Caymanians are not better than any other nationality we are all equal with our Creator.
Do you think only Caymanians will be in heaven?
I blame the PPM and the satanists. For everything. Except for the problems caused by the bloggers. But bloggers are sometimes also PPM or satanists. Then there are the foreigners. I heard a story the other day in Fosters from my niece's neighbour's friend about an ex-pat, here on a work permit, who did something and that something was not right but they got away with it. Check my story it is the truth. This country is falling to pieces because of the foreigners and the PPM and the satanists and the bloggers and CNS. Now I have ranted I have to go home to complete my tax return. Oh I don't have one, because someone else pays for everything. Still it sucks here. Did I mention the voodooists?
Yap. they're entitled to it.
Much like the expats are entitled to stay as long as they like in Cayman.
Being loving excludes calling names like 'hatemongers'
Now! We as locals can earn what we deserve to get paid for our labor and don’t have to sell our self so cheap to compete with under pricing laborers …
Under pricing labor is a recipe for disaster to any economy, check it out.
Cheap Labor = Increases of short term profit. (until your competitors gets some cheap laborers too then it is a pricing war to see who can go the lowest).
But this in the long run decreases profit…
While Government fees and Cost of living increases … Nobody wins (Only the Government with their fees).
We all should stand our grounds and accept the pay rate we are worth not less.
An expat friend of mine was speaking to me about the way that filipinos and jamaicans are treated. i'm not sure of statistics, but i am sure that filipinos are most likely working in low skilled jobs. we have only just now implemented a minimum wage and it's $5 an hour! honestly, who thinks that you can survive on $5. If you work 8 hours a day for 6 days a week you make $240, which means monthly you're making less than $1000. Rent in cayman is way above that and doesn't include bills and transport costs. whoever thought $5 was adequate did not do any research.
On top of this, I have heard rumours that employers deduct the cost of work permits from the employees. i doubt this employees have any sort of pension and then what about health benefits?
It's no wonder the Filipino government listed us. I mean along with Afghanistan, we sound like a slave trade country.
I hope the caymanian government is planning on doing something to eliminate the issues that could be caused by this decison. As well as to maintain a good relationship with as many countries as possible.
I know of several jamaicans whose employers pay for the work permit and then deduct the cost of the work permit from their wages for the duration of their contract. Most pay for their own medical insurance and have no pensions too. I cannot fathom how they survive doing this on less than the minimum wage.
depend on the typeof employer, for me , my employer is American, so I had no complaint about it, my hospitality there is good so far, and people there are friendly, addition to that, the environment are good.
some of thse employers are Jamaicans
I think you make many valid points. However, many Filipinos also work in good circumstances, with fair market pay and benefits.
Certainly, if the opportunities here were not better than their home land they would not stay. If you look at the attachment there are many Caribbean countries on the list, including the USVI. Seems to me that to include Cayman with India and Afghanistan is either uninformed or motivated by something other than genuine concern for the plight of their workers.
Pray tell me, what's the minimum wage in Jamaica and the Philippines?
I remember when Jams were working for so little; Manley brought in the minimum wage and many middle-class households couldn't afford the two domestic helpers + 2 gardeners + baby sitter + nanny coz the minimum was too high – crying everywhere from those losing their jobs even though it was close to slavery. Some employers were also killed because of laying off people so don't talk about our minimum wage or hate because you have it back home and you know it and we know it.
Furthermore, from the comments, it seems people hate Caymanians also! The words are filled with venom and vindictiveness and please stop generalising as this is dumb. A few comments on here do not comprise the views of the majority of Caymanians.
Take care and love all.
About time something was done to protect these people, pity Cayman could not do it themselves. Maybe now all those greedy Caymanian business owners will be forced to employ Caymanians (theri own people) and pay them a deent living wage, or will they just choose to pick on another unfortunate people and take advantage of them as they have done they filo's.
I appreciate your empathy for the down-trodden. But your post is indicative of why business owners don’t like to hire Caymanians. The standard of education on this Island is frightful.
It's a common misconception that all Caymanians are lazy and or uneducated. Please don't judge us all by the vocal minority. Ever country has it's losers and bums, whether it be the US, England or anywhere else. However remember that those countries don't export the unambitious. It takes a certain mindset and a fair amount of resolve to leave your home country behind along with everyone you know and strike out to start fresh in a foreign place. Many Caymanians go overseas and are quite successful, so don't be quick to paint us all with the same brush. It's frustrating as an educated Caymanian with a good work ethic, who doesn't feel entitled to anything more than the opportunity to earn a fair pay for the work I do to have to accept a wage far lower than the industry standard. I'm happy to have a job but when I constantly see people who are less qualified than me making twice what I do in the same position solely because they are not a "lazy Caymanian" it makes me want to abandon these islands. I'm not so naive as to think that these problems are caused only by foreigners. Many of the worst culprits are Caymanian. Funnily enough in my personal experience many of the people I've seen helping Caymanians giving them opportunities to prove and better themselves are foreigners. There are also quite a few Caymanians willing to help their own people. (to one of which I'm forever grateful.) However manyforeigners in positions that would allow them to grant Caymanians these opportunities are not willing. With the state our immigration department it's a wonder how more injustices against the less fortunate are not even more common place. The immigration department's only skills seem to be harassing hard working foreigners and allowing money to dictate their policies. In short they are wholly ineffective in accomplishing their purpose.
"It's a common misconception that all Caymanians are lazy and or uneducated" I agree, there are many decent, educated, hard working Caymanians out there – and most have jobs to suit, its just a shame tho, that the lazy uneducated ones are the noisiest!!
'The immigration department's only skills seem to be harassing hard working foreigners and allowing money to dictate their policies. In short they are wholly ineffective in accomplishing their purpose.'
Right on! The lady receptionist at that department has a typical anti-expat attitude. She just exudes it ! She should be sent back to primary school and re-learn good manners and right conduct especially if she's the department's frontal representative. She can't even disguise it with a plastic smile. Oh, no! she's very genuine…with her dislike.
Maybe it had never entered her thick skull that all those people sitting in front of her, bringging their money with them are customers – in a sense, paying her salary. Her only skill is making the seat warm and answering the phone, and most of the time, not even. Have you ever tried calling immigration? What do you hear at the other end?
That is a very ignorant and prejudiced post so apparently that is why, as you acknowledge, "business owners don't like to hire Caymanians". You are tryingto judge the educational standard of an entire people based on one post on CNS even though you must have read many well-written posts by Caymanians.
On average our standard of education is actually better than the standard in many developed countries including the U.S.
No one is "pick(ing) on" anybody to come here to work. People freely choose to come here to work and may freely leave at any time. They do so largely because their wages and working conditions here are better than in their home country. The employers who abuse foreign workers are not always "greedy Caymanian business owners". Many of them are expats.
At least this should put the so-called Filipino "agents" out of business. Yes, it's their own people that is treating them so badly. They charge a big fee, get them a fake contract to get past the authorities in the Philippines, and then they arrive here with a lower paying job or no job at all! Most of them have to borrow the money to get here and are then unable to repay the loan.
Well this should make quite a few Caymanian women happy.
This is the best news that has happended all year.
Now lets hope the Cayman Government is not crazy enough to try to get off this list. There are over 3,500 filipinos here and that is enough. Thank you Philippines Government!!
Can someone explain to me how this makes sense? How can a democractic government restrict its people from traveling where they want to to seek employment? The last time I checked (just now) the Philippines were not under totalitarian rule. Therefore, I'd like to call their government's bluff as they can not enforce this new law! Many people maybe aware that a significant portion of the Philippines' government revenue is directly tied to foreign remittances. As a consequence, it would be political suicide for them to enact such a law if they truly believed that it would affect their revenue inflows. I'm guessing that the sitting government is enacting this law to try and scare dumb countries into reacting to this futile cry, or, they're trying to gather political support for upcoming elections. XXXXX
TRUE, but Cayman will find a way to screw this major beniefit over, over some dumb sh*t.
As bad as some things may be for the Filipino community here, they are not forced to work here. I am more concerned that a supposedly democratic country would infringe its own peoples right to work where they wish to work. This could do more harm than good and really what has Cayman got to gain by siging a bi-lateral agreement? It can just as easy switch labour sourcing from another country. I would be interested to hear what the Filipino's think about all this.
Labour Law, Pensions Law, Medical Insurance Law, Immigration Law, Human Rights, you name it, they all apply to everyone on the Cayman Islands but are all subject to abuse and selective enforcement.
How many ex-pats have had their work permits cancelled and have been deported after they complained about abuse of basic employment rights?
This is a wake up call. Ignore it and the next headline you are likely to read is going to involve something far more serious, probably action by Europe against the Cayman Islands under ECHR.
The only rights anyone on a work permit should have is the right to work while they have a legal work permit and the right to leave when their permit expires. If they want more rights, then they are free to have the right the catch the next flight out back to their country where they can have all the rights they want!
I have noticed certain clanish ways with the Phillipino community even to where they wanted Government to legalise certain laws for their community and this cannot happen. Other Countries have existed here in Cayman for many decades without trying to build a "country within a country" here in Cayman, and that is what these people want to do. Do not outdo your welcome here and just go with the flow until its your time to go back home!
Xenophobic much? You do realize that by not ensuring proper working conditions and wages for foreign nationals its making them the more attractive option over Caymanians? Forget what you think of foreigners for a moment. Forget the fact that Cayman needs them to function. Think of who will get hired faster. The foreigner willing to work for $2.50 an hour or the Caymanian who demands a salary that they can actually live on. Those aren't even the jobs we should be worried about in the first place, what about the work permit bank managers with 2 years experience and an associates or bachelors in management getting a job over the Caymanian with 5-7 years experience and has a MBa in management (From a well recognized foreign university). What about the complete lack of succession planning?
I know that there are Camanians who are looking for work. I know there are Caymanians who are overlooked for positions they are qualified for. But as a former IT manager who trained my Caymanian replacement, I see this differently. Do Caymanians want higher paying jobs? Why bar those who are taking service jobs? They typically pay nothing. I took a person with a BS in computers and trained him to become an IT manager in less than a year. But to find him I had to weed through 20 other "applicants" who did not have any computer training at all. Their only "qualification" was that they were Caymanian. I wish Cayman well. It will always have a place in my heart. I love it and it's people, but to get the job you need the skill. If you don't have the skill, get it. If you don't want to expend the time or effort to get the minimum skills to get a higher paying job, then expel all the people who make nothing and you can flip burgers and cut grass. Wrong direction….
We're only here for your money, here for your mo-ney, we're only here for your money . . . (and some of your husbands).
You are so right there are so many laws here with no enforcement – thank God that some foreign nation is standing up for their citizens. The Cayman Islands has a habit of using and abusing these low income foreign nationals and like you said chew them up spit them out and send them home with no protection at all. It happens to other nations too but at least the Filipino government is not going to stand for it.
This is a very interesting slant on things. My experience of working with Filipinos here has been a very positive one withone glaring exception. Some of them get paid to find a job for their friend/cousin/brother here. They charge the new employee part of their salary for up to six months after they arrive on the island for finding them a job. The new employee does the same to someone he/she finds a job for. In this instance they are profiting from their own people. I wonder if the Filipino government is looking into this practice as well?
So what is wrong with paying a person who found a job for you? Would you rather pay a fly-by-night agency who would charge you 10x and leave you high and dry?
How do you know that he is not paying back the friend who found him a job for expenses he spent for your medical in the Philippines, police clearance, travel to and fro from wherever hole you came from to go to Manila and process your documents? How do you know it was not payment for loans you have accumulated for staying in Manila while you wait for your work permit to be approved? How do you know it was not payment for the plane ticket he bought for you which you cannot afford if not for him advancing you some money? How do you know it was not payment for the money you owe him because he lent you some to leave for your family while you're waiting for your first salary?
How do you know that the Filipino government had looked into this that's why some of then have their own recruitment agencies?
And even if not, how is it your business now?
what the heck they on bobo..this the best place in the wurld
You know this is total BS when Jamaica isn't on this list..
YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!
Something had to be done to protect the local wildlife.
Thank you Philipines.
Cayman is helping out all the Filipinos by giving them jobs. Making $1 an hour is better than being unemployed back in the Philippines and making $0. If the filipinos think they are being abused here then they should quit and go home. No one is pointing a gun to their heads to come here and get "abused". Everyone makes their choices and do what they have to do to survive. The Philippine government should get their heads out of their behinds and be realistic. The Philipine government is hurting their own people by banning jobs outside the country. Sad to say, but this is a typical Philipine govenrment nonsense … we should bring this up to Pacquiao!!!
There are laws in this country that protect all people. The phillipinos XXXX instead of reporting the inappropriate employers who make Caymanians look bad they sit there and take the treatment. Everyone wants to blame our Government but what about the Phillipines Government that has no jobs or way of living for their people so they export them and trade them like commodities to the highest bidder rergardless of age or qualification. If Cayman is no longer good for them that is because they have found a bigger fish to sell their people to. If they have a better option for their people in the Phillipines let them keep them because realistically they are not just coming here to take low income jobs they are also here as accountants etc. Its sad that they are slandering our name but who knows maybe McKeeva will sue them also for deformation of character. Sad to see you all go but farewell and good luck. Cayman is a wonderful Country to work in and there are many other people both local and overseas who will happily step up and fill these positions.
I have once worked in your country….and all of my Caymanian, Jamaican , Latinos, like we say " JUST PASSING THRU BRETHREN"…Thank you miss you …A Filipino here now in Canada..
Finally an something with senser from an outside government that may actually benefit Cayman's ecomony and immigration in the long run.
How much more than we can offer, does the Filipino government want?
When Filipinos arrive here no one forces them to work for USD 4.00 per hour or live 5 to 6 to one (1) room.
Compared to where these people come from, Cayman is heaven, if they were being treated bad we would all know.
I think you have a terrible view of this situation. Yes no one forces them, but they sometimes have no other option. Because everyone knows they can exploit the kind nature of filipinos.
Just because you think that the Phillipines is a poverty-stricken country does not mean that we have the right to treat them as slaves in Cayman. All human beings deserve fair wages and fair living arrangements. They are forced to have too many people because they can't afford it on the s**t wages they receive at US$4!
Well if they can't afford to live here, the logical thing to do would be to leave. I dont have an issue with filipinos are no other nationals, they cant continue to bring our standard of living down, at who's expense?
Caymanians need work and this maybe the big break we need to jumpstart our economy, perhaps now money can remain in the Caymanian Economy and not sent somewhere 1/2 way around the world.
I taught the philipines was a demoncratic country, since when should a government have to right to restrict where free minded people should or should not work? I'm confused this appears to be a dictatorship
I hate this mentality that Caymanians have. We are entitled to have a job, because we are Caymanians. Being a Caymanian is not a qualification.
I guarantee there will still be the same number of unemployed Caymanians after the filipinos leave, because Caymanians don't want to do the jobs for US$4 hour. No one does and no one should have to.
Irrespective of whether filipinos or any other nationality leaves because of unfair working conditions, US$4 is not enough money to live in Cayman with. Sorry but that's the fact. just do the math. If you work 8 hours a day 6 days a week you get US$192 a week. Tell me how ANYONE (Caymanian, filipino, jamaican) is supposed to pay rent and utilities and transport costs with that!
This is about common decency to human beings. All human beings.
Ha! Tell me about it!
We do all know.
It is my understanding that Cayman did not sign some kind or type of MOU for Phillipinos rights in our country, hence the new regulation includes Cayman. OUT goes 3,000 Phillipinos, IN comes 3,000 Jamaicans. Isn't that what the UDP government wants for this country?
Maybe we shall wait on how long will the Cayman Government resolve this issue.
lets hope they are really slowwwww fixing this one!….take a year or two please. No rush.
DOLE Sec. Rosalinda Baldoz said the ban will affect ‘ a little over 200 OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), who she said can avail of the government’s integration program if they wish to return home’.
I suggest for DOLE Sec. R. Baldoz to do her homework and do it well before opening her mouth and putting her feet (not one, but two feet) in it.
How could she say ‘a little over 200 OFWs’ will be affected’ when in Cayman Islands alone there are 2,547 work permit holders? Can she really guarantee ‘government integration for all of them when and’ if they wish to return home’?
Why not solve the squatter problem in the Philippines where families wallow in poverty, living way below poverty line, and have them ‘integrated’ – whatever that means! And can one ask what is included in the government integration package?
‘…many of the OFWs deployed to the countries are employed by globally operated companies and are not covered by the deployment ban.’ Really? Seriously???
Can she take that information to the bank to show that the information is true and correct – had she checked how many of that 2547 OFWs in Cayman Islands are employed by globally operated companies?
And of all countries, why is Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries known for atrocious treatment of their workers not included in the ban – to think that they are the first and foremost importers of Pinoy workers!
Consider this, that if she is mistaken in one known fact, how do we know that she could also be mistaken in a lot of other facts we are not aware of?
Is there a hidden agenda somewhere in the mazelike red-tape of Philippine labor exportation?
The purpose may have its merit, true, but in all the years I have worked and resided in the Cayman Islands,I have never heard of an international outcry that resulted from mistreatment of employers against their employees as we often hear from news coming from the Middle East. Those Caribbean countries mentioned in the list are surely never heard of in the Philippines by people who had never been to Cayman, and the 2547 is a very negligible percentage of the 10million people populating the 7,100 islands. Did she just borrowed Harry Potter’s wand and waved it in the air, mumbling abrakadabra, zizz boom bah! and presto, names of countries to be banned appeared written on her wall!
halerrrrr!!
Check previous news of OFWs who died in war-torn countries and brought back to the Philippines only for their families to find out it’s the wrong corpse, and this is just a few mistakes – shit happens, yes, and that’s understandable – but banning OFWs to work in countries where there was no problem before, but not from countries where problems do happen – as Hayden would say – ‘What the *bleep*?
This pronouncement is laughable. Maybe the Phillipine Government needs to put the working conditions in its country into good working order first.
Seems to me that a bureaucraft is badly informed or there is rapant abuse in Cayman of Pinos who have all decided to keep very quiet and benefit from employment which is not available in their country. Have RCIPS ben asleep on the job again and how come CNS etc haven't uncovered this widespread abuse?
Phillipino workers now is your chance to speak up and use CNS, Rooster etc to tell our Government how badly you are being treated in Cayman.
You're absolutely right – the RCIPS have been asleep, as has the Legal Department. The Cayman Islands abuse their very own born and bred, never mind foreigners… Where have you been?
I think this is a very good decision made by the philipino Government, it shows that they are standing up for thier people, much better than the Government of Cayman Islands is doing. However the phillipinos working in Cayman have more rights given to them than the poor Caymanians have. However again the phillipino nation is a nation that takes over country very quickly. I feel no sympathy for what I see taking place here in Cayman, because the people living here, both Caymanians and Foreigners, are the ones who want a slave mentality, Caymanians and Expatriates too, want to hear, Sir, I bring you food now, yes, sir I wash you feet now, yes. Sir, I clean car now, yes. Sir, I bathe your wife now, yes. Sir, I bathe you now, yes. Sir it is wife time now, yes, sir it is you time now yes. I take my hat off to the Phillipino Government, yes put preessure on all those countries including Cayman who are sneakingly seeking asian slaves.
Hey 14:25, tell me how I can employ someone to bathe me and my wife! Sounds interesting!
Protect them from abuse?? They have morerights in this country that me and i'm a Caymanian! Saying that i'm not going to argue because in my view there are far too many of them working here for below minimum wage and taking jobs that unskilled Caymanians could be doing! Also I'm tired of going to the airport to travel or to a restaurant and having sombody at the front desk who cannot speak proper english.
Who do you think are employing those Filipinos and paying them 'for below minimum wage'? Or should I paraphrase the question – 'who are the employers of these Filipinos receiving salary 'for below minimum wage?'
Are they really taking jobs that unskilled Caymanians could be doing? Or – are they taking jobs that unskilled Caymanians could be doing, but won't do? Remember that these jobs are advertised for two weeks and if there's no' suitable' Caymanian takers, then and only then would immigration grant permit to work right?
Now we're back to speaking proper English – These people have taken English test upon arrival and they must have passed it for them to be able to stay otherwise they would be sent back from where they came from – right? Maybe, it's HOW YOU speak the English language that's the problem.
Filipinos speak, write, read, and comprehend English better than most who they say English is their first language , some of whom do not even know how to spell their words. The problem comes when you murder the English language that they have a hard time understanding what you are spouting with saliva spreading left, right and center!
Are you even sure you are speaking to a Filipino? They might be Cuban, Hondoran, etc, etc? and you just lump them all to be Filipinos? Filipinos are not the only brown-skinned people, you know!
Oh, please Gabriella everyone knows what are on those English tests. I go to the bar and ask for a diet coke and the Hondurean bartender has no clue what I am talking about.
If you all can speak English so well then I would like for you all to start practising it. Every time I go into a shop, the Filipino cashier is talking Filipino with the stockers and baggers while they are checking me out. And I'm still waiting for the two at the airport in the liquor store to notice taht I went into the store.
I went into a store the other night and the Hondureans and the Filipinos were carrying on in their language while the Caymanians were waiting to be checked out.
I think that they are good workers but this language thing is out of hand. Talk to each other in private but it is a turn off in public especially when you like you said can speak such good English.
It is a turn-off to hear another language spoken between two people who share it as a first language? Try looking at it from another angle: You are blessed in Cayman to have such varied cultural riches surrounding you, and to be able to learn something of other nations and languages without even stepping a foot off the island. Glass half empty much?
I have no problem with culture but I have a problem with rudeness and it is rude to speak a foreign language when you know the native language and you are serving customers. It's called good customer service. No wonder we have such poor customer service results.
I have travelled quite extensively and have made the effort to speak the languages of the other countries that I travelled to even though I was a visitor.
Please remember these people are selling the Cayman Islands and it is quite disappointing to constantly have visitors ask where are the local people and complain about the foreign languages being spoken. They say that it is just like Miami.
Have you thought of opening up your own chapter of the Caymanian KKK Frank? The way you write you fit in perfectly with dem boys.
And whose fault is it that Filipinos have more rights here in the Cayman Islands than Caymanians – its the Cayman Government and our Immigrations fault because we have labour laws that protect no one not foreigners (from any country) and not Caymanians. All that is happening now is that a nation is standing up to protect their citizens abroad – if all other foreign nations did that then our labour laws would have "teeth" and no one would be allowed to be abused. THERE IS ABUSE HERE IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS OF LOW INCOME FOREIGNERS and it must be stopped – Congratulations to the Filipino Government for standing up and protecting their citizens from abuse.
Please name one right that they enjoy that you do not have?
You obviously support American and not your own airline Cayman Airways.. I'm not sure how American is able to keep a constant full compliment of Filipinos on staff but Cayman Airways is always hiring local Caymanians. Kudos to Cayman Airways though for keeping it local and no disrespect to the Filipinos at American. They are very friendly and hardworking people.
Cayman better fix this and quick! It is bad for the reputation of the Cayman Islands and it is bad for the local businesses on the island. Many of whom would not survive without the imported labour force.
The Cayman islands have a Labour Law that is fairly decent (room for improvements). So the local government obligations are to enforce those laws.
Banning their workers, in protest, because of some unscupulous employer is a bit of cutting the nose off to spite its face.
Now if we could get the jamaican government to do the same, we could free up some jobs for Caymanians.
Cheap labour (which their government probably supported in the first place inintially) has been the cause of many labour issues worldwide (US with mexican migrants for example), including Cayman. So for their government to issue worldwide decrees exterior their borders is quite ":tall" and facety (local term). Perhaps they should seek to clean up their own policy relevant to labour and so many would not have to go overseas.
Can someone please send this to the new Jamaican Prime Minister.
Just saying…….
What do you mean by "free up some jobs for Caymanians"? Exactly who do you think is hiring the Jamaicans? Is it not Caymanians hiring and government collecting fees on work permits ? Do Caymanians want to do the jobs many Jamaicans and Filipino workers are doing for low wages? Be careful what you wish for…..
You know if I had to choose between being a gardener or starving its not that difficult. $5 is better than $0. I've been unemployeed and I applied everywhere I could thankfully someone took me in not based on my resume (If I ever hear over qualified again I'll punch that person in the nose.) but on shear luck that there was a position open and they were willing to give me a chance. The job wasn't even in my field of work but hell if I was going to turn it down. Over a year later and I'm still working and even earned myself a promotion into a position which aligns with my skill set. I just wish more employers would give Caymanians a chance. Fire them if they don't work but give them the chance to prove themselves.
LMAO – they have it good here compared to in the Philippines! Otherwise they wouldn't come! This is ridiculous. I see lots of Filipinos here with good jobs, nice cars, a community of family and friends. More are marrying into the local community, having children, buying property. What more rights do they want? They already have more than some Caymanians. SMH.
I wander why Caymanians live in other countries if things are so good here?
Actually if you are a Caymanian Cayman is tough to do well in. Much better to be an expat. Caymanians excel abroad.
That would be because this country is no longer good for Caymanians….the cost to do anything that you can think of is absurd. The only people that truly benefit from anything that this country has to offer, are the people that come here to work, live like shabs for a few years, and send all their money back home, by which means they can live like kings and queens in their own home country. They spend nothing here, they are litterally draining our country. Their government can not take them all back to their country fast enough. Dont even mention Jamaicans, thats a hopeless case…5/4s of the cayman population are already Jamaicans…this place is going to hell.
"Wander"? Really 15:21! Well any way I will answer your question: they had to leave to get work as the jobs they would have got have been taken by the over 8000 "new" Caymanians since 2003. You asked, I answered and this is facts, like it or not so be careful what you ask as you will receive an honest answer!
"This is facts". Really? Please point us to the statistics that prove 8,000. Since you are dealing with facts, you should be able to tell us how many people became Caymanian in each year since 2003. This should be interesting given the political parties have changed during this period. Can't wait to hear from you.
Mac gave 3,000 + – some deserving, and some not. Thousands of dependants came and became Caymanian ” by entitlement.” many of these had no personal links to Cayman whatsoever. Then many more gained PR because of points awarded due to having a “Caymanian” relative. This still continues today. The number of persons becoming Caymanian as a result is rising exponentially. The number provided of 8,000 is conservative. It is probably closer to 12,000.
So now its 12,000? That's a 50% margin for error. It was a simple question. Your answer has provided no details, no statistics, as asked.
To your point of some deserving. If they are deserving, why are you including them in your argument?
3000 grants plus another 6,000 as dependants (allowing an average of two each) is an immediate 9,000. About another 3,000 arises out of new children born to the 9000 over the past 8 years, marriages, and PR recipients. My math says that is 12,000.
Dis ere de best news me a ere all year. You done know me a soon reach back!
From your command of patois, I am guessin you're not a true yardie.
Well….I’m going to invest in a Chineese Or Indian Resturant now….
We already have some chinese restaurants, albeit they are staffed by filipinos disguised as chinese.
The Cayman Islands Government needs to address this immediately and ensure they are removed from this listing. Being grouped with some of these other countries puts Cayman in a very negative light (whether being on the list is justified or not).
I currently employ a Filipino as our nanny and couldn't imagine seeing her being forced to leave the island. We have already purchaed a plane ticket for her to return home for a vacation in 2012 so she can visit her family, but now have concerns as to whether they will let her return to Cayman.
Additionally I am not sure we could continue to live on the island (my wife and I are both working expats), as there would be very little options left for us in terms of childcare. We are already prohibited from hiring Jamaicans and based on our experience from our original posting of this position we had no Caymanians apply.
You mean to tell me not one of the two thousand unemployed Caymanians want to be a Nanny? Hard to believe.
They may want to be a nanny, sure – but not at CI$500 a month.
Please! Filipino nannys are highly paid. On the low end salary is usually average 1000 USD and they tend not to pay housing, a vast majority get travel benefits, personal items paid for, days off monetary allowance. Most times they are 'just' nannys meaning they don't have to clean and cook, they only take care of the child in the house.
I have seen it where the employer will cook for the nanny – ok so for the whole household, but the nanny equally benefits. The employer cleaned the house while the nanny took care of the child. I'd say that is an awesome deal if you ask me.
I see variations of this on a regular basis, where the Caymanian employer will provide training courses for the nanny. Buy clothes and other items on trips abroad, if the nanny didn't accompany and if the nanny accompanied, provided an allowance to buy themselves. Buy takeout from restaurantswhile the employer is out having dinner, bring something especially ordered for the nanny.
The order could not be from many filipinos because the Cayman community should have known that something was going on. Cayman is a small community and gossip runs like wildfire. So if there were instances of poor treatment I would expect that it would be widely known.
I hope this does get resolved because all in all it is negative publicity.
Hire a Mexican, I hear they're looking for work.
Pack it up and come on home, game’s about over anyway.
Interesting development. I wonder if Cayman will take any of their concerns seriously?
It seems to me that the Labour Law covers all workers, Caymanian and expatriate. Similarly, the Bill of Rights will cover all persons when it comes into effect next year.
Interesting that I don't see Bermuda on that list.
One of the lessons here is that the country should not become too dependent on any one nationality. Time to look for new sources of labour. Jamaica appears to have found a supply in China.
And Jamaica is not on that list either!!
Probably because no one is dumb enough to go work there?
You are so vain; maybe you need to take a trip and see who are thehousekeepers turning up for work in Upper St. Andrew. You need to take your dumb head out of the sand and realised that Jamaica has lots of diplomatic relationships with various countries and people from these desitnations have been residing and working in Jamaica long before they heard of the Cayman Islands, hence Jamaica would have already signed the Convention.
Why dont you people grow up and leave Jamaica alone. The Philipines Government made a decision about 20 countires and because Jamaica is not on that list; you want to mow the government down; things dont always go your way my friend; not eveyone is small minded like some of us Caymanians.
Regardless of any conventions it has signed I think you know that workers (both Jamaican and expatriate) have tough working conditions in Jamaica. For example, it is common to find a domestic helper paid only US$500 per month and that is in "Upper St. Andrew". Many are expected to work for 12+ hours per day without overtime pay. Many are treated as less than human and can only eat from from the leftovers after the family has eaten. On average Jamaican helpers in Cayman are treated well by comparison. You know that I am speaking the truth.
Don't fresh with Jamaica. Some of you people talking about Jamaica have never been there. Jamaica is different from Cayman. WE grow crops, yams, banana, coffee, oranges,tomato , potatoes escellion, tyme. We produce bauxitegypsum,limestone products.Further out tourism beat out yours by far this year and many years in the past. So food is not as expensive as in Cayman. So the person with the $500 US per montht as you say can stretch very far in our produce market. Jamaica has its dignity. you can speak your mind freely without fear of your permit being cancel. Leave Jamaica out of your argument.
"…you can speak your mind freely without fear of your permit being cancel".
But not necessarily without your life being cancelled. Saying the wrong thing or wearing the wrong colour clothing in Jamaica can be very hazardous to your health. And I am quite familiar with Jamaica.
Perhaps you should invest in a dictionary.
Why? He seems to be doing fine without one/the one he has.
Cayman may soon have to accept Cuban refugees just to keep the island running.
What is so different about the Phillipinos? I think that we are flooded out with them alraedy. They can take them all back.
Take them all back? I'm Caymanian and married to a beautiful Filipino woman, do you expect her to go back too?
It seems that the indentured slaves are getting restless.
I wonder why?
Cayman is being exposed for what it really is. Its unfortunate what a few ugly have done to Cayman in the name of protectionism.
Can one even imagine Immigration adopting the following policy "Do to others as you would have them do to you?" Its very sad that this concept is unacceptable to a self proclaimed Christian Country. And we wonder why there is so much division and hate.
Oh dear. Now we might have to actually start enforcing our health insurance law and pensions law and labour law and trade and business licensing law and immigration law. Blame our government for this – dat what you get when you allow people to be abused and do not enforce our laws.
But those are not migrant worker issues. It affects all of us equally.
True – but the Cayman government is not protecting it’s people, at least the Philippine government is looking out for theirs.
What happens when they steal out their employers? Who suffers?