Labour and Immigration Minister David Burch has accused the Construction Association president and the Bermuda Employers Council executive director of making misleading remarks on work permit term limits.

Government Senate Leader, Senator Burch criticised Alex DeCouto of the Construction Association and Martin Law of the BEC, saying he was "disappointed" in their comments in an article in 'The Bottom Line' magazine.

The article 'Terminal limitations Is Bermuda's work permit term limits policy mortally limiting for business?' was written by Matthew Taylor and published in the March/April edition of The Royal Gazette's sister magazine 'The Bottom Line'.

Sen. Burch told the Senate this week: "I really am disappointed. I'm referring to the article in The Bottom Line magazine by Matthew Taylor on work permits.

"I'm disappointed not in Matthew Taylor and The Royal Gazette, let's be clear, but I'm disappointed that even today people are trying to demonise something that is designed to protect everyone sitting around this table.

"I can't process how people can characterise it is something not positive to this country."

Referring to work permit term limit for expatriates, Sen. Burch said: "If the Government of Bermuda does not take steps to protect Bermudians, then who will?

"There are a number of lies in this article I wish to clarify."

At this point, Opposition Senate Leader Michael Dunkley interjected: "I don't feel that is language here for this table."

But Sen. Burch said: "I'm telling you what is quoted here is a lie. My point is I'm disappointed in some of the people who are quoted in this article. It's the typical one-sided article, no one in the Government was asked to comment."

He read out the article in which he reported Mr. Law saying that the Christmas period brought 'the first business-supportive statement from Minister Burch'.

Sen. Burch then quoted Mr. Law from the article as saying: "We are not seeing any substantial change. But hearing him (Sen. Burch) say what he said does give some comfort to us. It's still a work in progress."

The Minister said: "That's not true. I support international business and continue to do so. The fact that 95 percent of their requests for exemptions have been approved and the backlog cleared, I'm disappointed."

He added he was also disappointed in Construction Association president Mr. DeCouto.

"He knows better," said Sen. Burch, who went on to quote Mr. DeCouto in the article as saying: "No company, I believe, can produce a document that asserts 'good corporate citizenship' and no person, I believe, can say they have 'key status'. I stand to be corrected, but in every case that has been described to me, someone seeking exemption to the term limit simply gets a permit renewed or doesn't. You never know either way, you just submit it and hope they say 'yes' to the renewal. That kind of uncertaintly is horrible for businesses and employees."

Sen. Burch said: "This isn't true that 'No person can assert they have key status' and that 'Someone seeking exemption to the term limit simply gets a permit renewed or doesn't'. That's a bold-faced lie."

He said: "The best of this article comes at the very end, where somebody in the international business community is actually prepared to use their name rather than be anonymous." (Actually, the article does not contain any anonymous quotes.)

He said this person, IPC Re boss Jim Bryce, is reported in the article as being "pleasantly surprised at how the policy works". (The article actually stated Mr. Bryce "was pleasantly surprised about how the policy operated after initial concerns".

Sen. Burch said Mr. Bryce had reported that although in the beginning it seemed only CEOs and top level employees would receive work permit term limit exemptions, the article went on to say that "exemptions for other senior people went without a hitch".

The Minister said: "He says Government has been fair. That is the bottom line. The Department of Immigration and all of the staff have worked extremely hard over the past year to clear a backlog and it does not now exist.

"It is a process working fairly and squarely."

Sen. Burch then held up a photograph of children taking part in the Electric Magic Mile sports event, published in The Royal Gazette on March 3, with the caption 'Running Wild'. (Referring to the need to protect Bermudians in the employment market) he told the Senate: "I do wish to put on record that's why I do what I do in this work for Government."