The visits are part of an initiative by the Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, Honourable Vincent O. Wheatley, where officers from the department are now mandated to visit the Sister Islands of Jost Van Dyke and Anegada at least once per quarter.

Earlier this month, officials visited the two sister islands and conducted inspections, addressed disputes that were lodged and recorded complaints voiced by the residents.

Honourable Wheatley said, “Over the years our Sister Islands have been neglected in these areas due to limited financial resources. The time taken to visit Jost Van Dyke and Anegada further exposed the desperate need for regular visits.”

Deputy Labour Commissioner, Mrs. Michelle McLean said that the initiative was indeed a step in the right direction and every effort will be made to ensure that there are further visits.

Mrs. McLean said, “Businesses on these islands continue to feel the full impact of the pandemic as they are mostly dependent on tourism and with minimal tourist interactions, business owners continue to struggle. Most of the concerns voiced by the employers were relative to their staff and the end of the layoff period.”

The Department of Labour and Workforce Development’s mission is to promote good labour/management practices at workplaces to ensure stable and harmonious labour relations between employers and employees, to improve the utilisation of human resources by providing a range of employment service to meet wages, working conditions, safety, health and welfare of workers, both in the private and public sectors, through enforcement of the British Virgin Islands Labour Laws.