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Job seeker hurdles mount
(CNS): From pre-interview tests with absurdly difficult questions and the patronizing treatment of well qualified candidates, to job adverts in the press with no contact details at all, the local job hunter is faced with an ever-increasing number of hurdles in a still very tough employment market. CNS has been collating experiences from job seekers, which indicate that too many employers are trying to avoid taking on locals. In the latest noticeable issue, one offshore firm ran an advertisement for an office manager, and despite the rules regarding posts held by permit holders, the firm completely failed to include contact details. But a common theme seems to be random tests, exams or questions that are unrelated to the posts or absurdly difficult.
Sandra Catron who has had a lot of local job seking experience for herself as well as assisting other candidates, said that this latest advertisement was shocking and is part and parcel of a catalogue of tricks that employers, who must advertise work-permit holders' posts, are using to evade the requirements of the law.
Catron has taken to posting on Facebook, alerting local MLAs and the relevant authorities when she sees labour law infractions, and it seems the difficulties that she and other job-seekers who have contacted CNS recently are encountering are getting worse.
"It appears that people are being set up for failure," she told CNS after a number of demoralizing interviews where she was asked questions about the intricacies of certain legislationthat no one could be expected to have memorized and answer off the cuff.
"It would be useful for the employers to advise candidates as to what type of examination to expect when they come for an interview," she said, as she pointedto an incident where she had spoken with an IT manager who was asked to write an essay exam of which he had not be informed until he arrived. "There is no harm in allowing an individual to sufficiently prepare for an exam of this nature."
Her concern was that these things are sprung on candidates and in some cases appear to be made up on the spot to ensure the candidate is eliminated.
"It is a challenge even for highly qualified candidates in the job market. I have actively been assisting unemployed persons for several years and the various stories that I have heard makes me question the authenticity of the recruitment process for many," she said.
Concerned about the things employers are doing and their motivations, Catron said that employers should not be using tests as a "means of trickery" but as a way to assess candidates skills.
Catron is far from the only person to have contacted CNS over their job hunting challenges but most job-hunters are very reluctant to go on the record about their experiences as they point out it will undermine what already appears to be their slim chances of securing work. However, many are encountering similar problems.
Job seekers tell CNS that employers frequently simply do not respond to applications and if they do they are often rude or dismissive. Many other candidates have reported facing absurd questions ,which they say are clearly designed to create false barriers to Caymanians applying for posts held by permit holders.
One job seeker who experienced unexpected questions while looking for work in accounting said he has been asked everything but questions on "string theory" for a straight forward post in the financial sector, but when he approached the NWDA the tests there are exceptionally simple and often patronizing for candidates armed with academic and professional qualifications.
"There is a clear disconnect between what is needed in the job market and the NWDA, which does not seem to be equipped to assist qualified or experienced job seekers," he told CNS. With employers throwing up more and more barriers, he said, the difficulties that genuine job seekers face are not being taken seriously by the NWDA.
Another candidate who registered with the NWDA wrote to Employment Minister Tara Rivers as a result of what he described as a "frustrating" and "humiliating experience" at the NWDA. Despite being a PR professional he was offered work as a gardener or a hotel bus-boy.
"Going to a meeting for a so-called assessment, being handed a booklet of jobs and then told to pick the one I want boggles my mind at how simply unprofessional the process and treatment was," the candidate told the minister in his letter, as he described being handed a printout on how to dress for a job interview. "Every day I watch Caymanian employers advertise and hire unqualified expats in my field," he wrote. "I realize that work permits are far more lucrative business than placing Caymanian talent, but it’s disgraceful," he added.
While the National Workforce Development Agency is claiming to be upping its game in assisting those looking for work and communicating directly with the immigration boards so that they know where Caymanians are available for permit jobs, candidates tell CNS that there are a catalogue of problems with the government job agency's online portal as well. Employers are also reporting some difficulties using the new website and finding potential candidates.
As the issue of local unemployment remains a pressing problem, few politicians seem to be taking genuine complaints from qualified and experienced job seekers seriously. While government has promised to address the problems, so far the political rhetoric is slow to change into reality.
Implementation team critical for ‘Rationalization’
(CNS Business): The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce is urging the government to be transparent and to share the EY report on government rationalization, which is expected this week. However, Chamber President Johann Moxam said it was “imperative” that the government then puts together a competent and professional implementation team. “That is the key to the overall success of this exercise, ensuring that the persons responsible and tasked with taking the recommendations and implementing them have the necessary skills experience and expertise to get it done,” he said. Read more and watch the video on CNS Business
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Mental health body begins to meet obligations
(CNS): Although the Mental Health Commission (MHC) was established in legislation under the Mental Health Law early last year, it has only just begun to deliver training about the legislation to stakeholders who will deal on a daily basis with mental health patients. With the spotlight well and truly on Cayman's inadequate provision for those suffering from mental health issues at the moment, for the first time key personnel such as police and prison officers, court staff as well as government workers from the Department of Children and Family Services and the Community Rehabilitation Department and some private sector staff have undergone training regarding the new law and how it impacts their jobs.
One ofthe roles of the MHC set out in that legislation is to “oversee and deliver mental health training and sensitization sessions for prison officers, constables and any other persons who may, in the performance of their functions, be expected to deal with mental health patients.”
The series of training sessions began on Thursday 24 July and participants covered topics such as the definitions, types of detention orders, comparison between the old legislation and the new, rights of the patient or nearest relative to appeal, as well as the attendees own role and how the new law will impact their function.
The training was delivered by Julene Banks, Dr Taylor Burrowes Nixon and Dr Marc Lockhart. Participants included staff from the RCIPS, Department of Community Rehabilitation, The Counseling Centre, Department of Children and Family Services, Judicial Administration, National Drug Council, Cayman Islands Red Cross, Prison Service, and both private and public mental health professionals. Future training sessions are planned for teachers, health care workers, laypersons, counsellors and other mental health professionals.
Officials from the MHC are hoping to receive feedback from the trainees by email to mhc@gov.ky.
Email accounts hacked for banking information
(CNS): the RCIPS is warning residents and businesses in the Cayman Islands to be extra vigilant if they are in the habit of conducting banking business by email or sending wire instructions to their bank by way of e-mail, following complaints that e-mail accounts are being hacked. A police spokesperson said that Gmail and Candw.ky (which is hosted by Gmail) accounts have been particularly targeted. The police are urging bank customers to follow up with their banks to confirm that they have received the correct wire instructions. Likewise, businesses and vendors/suppliers should confirm by telephone that wire instructions are legitimate.
Anyone who believes that they have fallen victim to this type of crime is asked to contact the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit at 949-8797.
‘No take’ zones benefit whole reef
(CNS): A study of no-take marine zones found that they not only help economically valuable species such as lobster, conch, and fish recover from overfishing, but may also help re-colonize nearby reef areas. The report from the Wildlife Conservation Society, represents a systematic review of research from no-take areas around the world, and comes as signatory countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity are being required to protect at least 10% of their marine territory.
The report, “Review of the Benefits of No-Take Zones” written by Dr Craig Dahlgren, a recognized expert in marine protected areas and fisheries management, was commisssioner by the WCS to describe the performance of no-take zones in Belize and in other countries to ultimately conserve highly diverse coral reef systems.
In many coastal marine ecosystems around the world, overfishing and habitatdegradation are prompting marine resource managers to find ecosystem-based solutions. The report also examines factors affecting the performance of no-take zones, such as the design, size, location, and factors of compliance with fishing regulations.
“Belize has been a leader in the region for establishing marine protected areas and has a world-renowned system of marine reserves, many of which form the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site,” said Janet Gibson, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Belize Program. “It’s clear that no-take zones can help replenish the country’s fisheries and biodiversity, along with the added benefits to tourism and even resilience to climate change.”
According to past studies, the recovery of lobster, conch, and other exploited species within marine protected areas with no-take zones, or fully protected reserves, could take as little as 1-6 years. Full recovery of exploited species, however, could take decades.
“The report provides a valuable guide for Belize’s marine managers and fishers,” said Dr Caleb McClennen, Executive Director of WCS’s Marine Program. “We also hope this effort will generate and sustain stakeholder support for these important regulatory tools.”
‘No case’ against Tomasa
(CNS): Justice Alex Henderson dismissed the case against David Tomasa in Grand Court Monday after submission by his lawyers Friday. Tomasa was standing trial with Brian Borden for the murder of Robert Macford Bush in September 2011 and the crown's case against him was that he supplied the ammunition for the shotgun and the handgun used in the murder. The evidence against him relied almost entirely on the testimony of Marlon Dillon and Justice Henderson said that even if Dillon's testimony was to be believed, the crown had not demonstrated that at the time of the transaction Tomasa knew what the ammunition was to be used for or that Borden intended to kill anyone.
The prosecution's case rested on the alleged confession about the murder told to Dillon while he was driving Borden home, while Tomasawas in the car. Dillon had told the court that as they passed the murder scene, Borden had pointed to the wall and said that that was where he and Keith Montague had "mashed up" Bush.
After they had dropped Borden home, according to Dillon's testimony, Tomasa had then told him that he had given the ammunition to Borden in a brown paper bag and was worried that he had not cleaned off the bullets and that the crime would lead back to him.
In his ruling, Justice Henderson noted that it was a reasonable inference that if Tomasa supplied the ammunition that it was used to kill Bush but for a murder conviction it must be proved that in aiding and abetting he was aware that the ammunition would be used to kill someone at that time, although knowledge of the identity of the victim was not required.
In Dillon's evidence, Tomasa did not say why he gave the ammunition to Borden or when this transaction took place.
Justice Henderson said there was no evidence that at the time of the transaction that Tomasa knew that Borden would use the bullets for any offence at all, only that he knew by the time of the conversation in the car that he knew it was used in the murder of Bush.
"There is no inference that David Tomas had the required state of knowledge of the crime," Henderson ruled as he discharged him of the indictment.
Aunt Dean still dancing at 100th birthday bash
(CNS): Wearing a glamorous ivory-pink satin gown, Dean Brown, known by everyone as Aunt Dean, danced her way from the entrance of the Brac's civic centre hall all the way to the head table at her 100 birthday bash on Wednesday. Organised by her granddaughter, Speaker of the House Juliana O'Connor-Connolly, the guest list included five generations of family and numerous friends, including Premier Alden McLaughlin and Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell. One of her two surviving sisters, Theda Bodden, joined her on the head table, together with her two surviving children, Shirleymae Connor and Annalee Ebanks, plus two sons-in-law Reynold Ebanks and Fitz Gayle (husband of Natalie). (Left: Aunt Dean dances with grandson Bunny Watson)
Aunt Dean was led in by gransons Bunny Watson and Barry Ebanks, and she danced her way up the white carpet that had been laid in her honour for the big party bash at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre on Cayman Brac.
At the feast in her honour, the amazingly spry centenarian was entertained by song and dance performances by some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as a poem for the occasion by grandchild Susan Watson. But she just couldn't keep still when well-known performer Burman Scott sang a few good soca songs, and was up and dancing again with Bunny Watson and with great-granddaughter Michella Ebanks (right, dancing with Michella, as daughter Shirleymae, grandson Bunny, great-grandson Simon, and great-granddaughters Mikita and Matasha look on).
The church choir from Church of God Holiness in Watering Place sang one of her favourite hyms, "Never grow old", and she quipped to guests that A, G and E are three letters that shouldn't be in the alphabet.
Aunt Dean married Lewin Brown when they were both 17 and they lived in Watering Place throughout their 50 years of marriage until Lewin died in 1983, aged 69. They had six children, 25 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
Her younger sister Theda was able to join her for the celebrations. She has another surviving sister, Viola Brown, who was also her sister-in-law, having married Lewin's brother, Lester.
Below: (L-R: Shirleymae Connor, Dean Brown, Annalee Ebanks and Theda Bodden)
UK MP to press for no turtle meat for tourists
(CNS): A British Conservative MP will be coming to the CaymanIslands next week to throw his political weight behind the campaign to persuade local restaurants not to sell turtle meat to visitors. A UK charity which is on a drive to transition the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF) from a meat supplier into a purely conservation-based facility is taking aim at the tourism market as a starting point for reducing what demand exists for the meat. Matthew Offord, the Tory representative for Hendon in North London, will be hosting a reception here and also helping with the UK-based campaign to get the Conservative government to advise UK travellers at least not to eat the meat from the endangered species.
Eating turtle in the UK is illegal and in the wake of a recent statement from the UK government advising visitors to Japan not to eat live sushi, World Animal Protection (formerly the World Society for the Protection of Animals) is hoping it can get similar support for a travel advisory along the same lines for eating turtle in Cayman.
Simultaneously, Offord and the WAP will be pressing restaurants here to voluntarily stop promoting the meat to tourists. So far, the Grand Old House is the first and only restaurant to remove turtle from its menu and has agreed to sell it only to locals who pre-order the dish.
Professor Neil D'Cruze from the WAP told CNS that he appreciates that a ban maybe difficult to implement but he is hoping to persuade more restaurants to take the meat off the menu altogether voluntarily or adopt the same position as the Grand Old House, where the campaign launch will be held. The charity also wants to persuade the Department of Tourism (DoT) to support the idea of at least not promoting the meat to visitors as it believes it stimulates a false and unnecessary demand.
Concerned that the CTF has no idea what the real demand for the meat is even from locals, D’Cruze said he was delighted to hear that the Department of Environment has received funding from the UK's department of food and rural affairs' Darwin Initiative to begin a comprehensive survey of that demand and research into the genetic profile of turtles nesting on the beaches to identify the connections of the local wild turtles to the Farm.
That project is unrelated to the WAP campaign and part of the DoE's broader research work into the endangered species and their survival in the wild. It is being led by Dr Ana Nuno from the University of Exeter and is expected to provide the first truly objective information about the origin of turtles that are breeding in local waters, as well as get a true assessment of how much demand there is for meat and the issues surrounding poaching.
The WAP maintains that the CTF slaughters animals without properly assessing demand and also keeps huge numbers of the animals without knowing the true level of consumption and whether it is necessary to breed so many. D'Cruze said that any figures that can give a truer picture of how much and how many local people do eat the meat may help reduce the numbers held at the farm.
Understanding that the effort to transition the facility to conservation will be a long process, he said that simply reducing the numbers held at the farm, which are estimated to currently be more than 9,000 animals, would be a step in the right direction.
Ritz sued over sex crime
(CNS): An American family have filed suit against the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman hotel in connection with an allegation of sexual assault by a member of its staff in 2013 on a teenage girl. The suit, which has been filed in the Philadelphia Court, uses a pseudonym Mary Doe for the girl, who was 15 when she was allegedly assaulted by a hotel bellman on a number of occasions when she was vacationing at the 5-star resort on Seven Mile Beach. The family say the hotel was negligent because of poor security and hiring practices.
They are seeking compensation and punitive damages for physical and psychological damage allegedly suffered by their daughter.
According to reports in the US media and court documents, the family arrived at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Hotel on 24 March 2013 and checked into adjoining second floor rooms. They first encountered the bellman a few days later when they asked for restaurant recommendations and he complimented the girl's shirt. The next day he assisted the teen with a pack of playing cards and escorted her to the elevator, then offered a tour of the hotel. During the tour, the complaint says, the bellman grabbed the girl's buttocks, and she jumped and told him “no”.
When they reached the platform on the second floor of the stairwell, he backed her to the wall and sexually assaulted her but fled at the sound of someone approaching, asking her to meet him the next morning. The teen did not meet the bellman but spoke to him briefly when she encountered him later that day. The bellman then alleged organised for another member of staff to call her room to bring her down to the lobby to collect a package. On her way down, the bellman met the teenager and gave her a gift, then accompanied her back to her room, where he sexually assaulted her again
However, the girl then reported the assault to her parents, who immediately contacted the RCIPS but although the suit says he was questioned, there is no indication of any action taken by the authorities. According to the court documents, he denied being in contact with the teenager or entering her room. However, the complaint says, security footage and DNA tests contradicted his denial.
The plaintiffs say that the staff and management at the hotel had a duty to ensure their guests’ safety and prevent harm to their daughter.