Fire Noncompliant Workers
BVI Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sinclair Flemming has urged employers to dismiss staff who repeatedly flout workplace rules, pushing for clearer responsibilities on both sides. His remarks responded to Labour Commissioner Mervin Hastings’ advice that jobseekers keep records of hours, payslips and correspondence, with Flemming calling for the Labour Department to represent employers as well as employees.
Sinclair Flemming, chairman of the BVI Chamber of Commerce, has called on employers to remove workers who consistently fail to meet workplace standards, while pushing for a more balanced relationship between the business community and the Labour & Workforce Development Department.
Flemming made the comments in a video response to a news report about Labour Commissioner Mervin Hastings’ remarks at a recent careers workshop. Hastings had advised jobseekers and new workers to keep written records of duties, hours, wages, rest periods, leave entitlements and payslips showing deductions for Social Security, National Health Insurance and taxes. "Just to be clear, Mr Hastings did the right thing.
He’s the Labour Commissioner," Flemming said, acknowledging that explaining employees’ rights was appropriate. But he objected to what he described as messaging that encourages workers to enter workplaces expressly to gather evidence against employers. "We cannot have government officials coming out and telling employees to act like Inspector Gadget or Sherlock Holmes on persons’ job site, recording… and getting stuff together," Flemming said. "The Labour Department is supposed to work for both sides.
This is not the Employee Complaint Department." Flemming urged employers to meet their obligations: issue payslips, deduct and remit required taxes, ensure staff have the resources to perform their duties, document misconduct, clarify probationary requirements and provide training.
At the same time he said managers must take responsibility and be trained in people management. "Everybody need to be trained from the top come down. I’m not leaving out the persons in charge, but we need to have a holistic view," he said, adding a blunt message to supervisors: "If these people come to work on your site and they don’t reflect your company culture, fire them!
Get rid of them!" Flemming also agreed workers should secure records and understand their entitlements under the Labour Code, but reiterated his opposition to routine covert recording of workplace conditions as a default practice. The Chamber said it stands ready to cooperate with the Labour Department to ensure information on both employees’ and employers’ rights is communicated clearly across the Territory.
For a small jurisdiction like the BVI, where business and workplaces are often tightly-knit, Flemming framed the debate as one of preventing misunderstandings while protecting legitimate rights on both sides.
Primary source: BVI News