It is an issue right up there with housing, crime, traffic and drugs, sensitive to both Bermudians and guest workers alike. even if they aren't necessarily of the same opinion.

Engage someone in conversation on the controversial issue of work permits and the reaction you get mostly depends on what side of the fence the person sits.

Guest workers worried about the security of their permits would probably agree with former Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Quinton Edness that Government's plan to limit the term of work permits to six years is, in the former Minister's words, "unreasonable, threatening and intimidating".

Bermudians, frustrated by either the treatment at their jobs or the lack of opportunities to advance, are likely to debate it from another angle.

"But it isn't just the job market that is being impacted upon," one Hamilton worker stressed.

"More people coming to the Island means more competition for housing for Bermudians and that is a serious, serious issue. And those expats who get housing subsidies from their employers - or just higher wages - are able to pay higher rents which, while attractive to landlords, puts Bermudians at a great disadvantage and adds to frustration."

The term limit policy came into effect in 2001 and states that work permit holders can only stay for up to six years, with an extension to nine years in special cases.

"I understand the problems Government is trying to resolve, but I think this policy is wrong and should be removed," said Mr. Edness last week in a Royal Gazette article. He said he knew of companies that were already leaving or thinking of doing so because of the implementation of the policy which he called "unworkable".

"I feel I have to speak out about this because if affects the well being of Bermudians and will impact on Bermuda's economy," said the former Government Minister.

Many strong views were expressed when The Royal Gazette contacted a few people within the community.

"I'm very concerned about it, I don't think they should arbitrarily cut it to six years, each case needs to be accessed on an individual basis," said "Mary" a Bermuda-born Government employee whose parents came to Bermuda about 50 years ago.

"We have to recognise that international business is a major pillar of economic health here. Having said that we also have to concern ourselves about Bermudians and jobs for them, so I'm not an extremist. It has to be balanced.

"They have to exercise commonsense about the whole thing and not needlessly upset the people who are bringing in millions of dollars, but on the other hand take care of our own."

"Mary" admits the housing situation is a "huge, huge issue".

"If what's true what they said on the front page of the paper today that they are going to build at Morgan's Point, I think is a very good thing," she stated.

"It will take some of the pressure off. I was pipped to the post to buy a house so I've been there."

A skilled service worker isn't working at his profession because he went to immigration to complain about some things he saw going on and was subsequently asked to leave the company.

There are few other companies providing that service so job opportunities in that field are limited for him.

"They brought in someone from abroad and he was trying to give my job to his teenage son," explained "George".

"He wanted his son to have my job."

According to "George", the immigration department investigated his complaints for two weeks and the employee's son was ordered to leave the country.

"When they found out it was me who spoke to immigration and caused them some problems, and the person had to eventually leave the country, They were p***ed off at me," he explained.

"I was asked to leave because I spoke to immigration, but that's my legal right, isn't it? If I felt there was a crime being committed it is my right to speak to the authorities.

"I'm not the only Bermudian who has been through this, that's why it was easy for me to go."

He thinks the immigration department could do more to clamp down on companies that violate immigration laws.

"I know they are benefitting the Island but they are tearing up the social fabric of Bermuda," he said.

"This English guy made a statement one day when we were getting glass delivered. A Bermudian truck driver came up and they had some type of disagreement. "He (the colleague) walked by me and made a statement about `stupid (expletive) Bermudians', but then said `oh, not including you'.

"It's not like I dislike foreigners at all, but something has got to be done. I know every single person who comes to Bermuda is not like this, that there are some good people that we do have here," he said. "But there should be some guidelines to help them with their attitudes."

Added the 37-year-old man: "When I was there I witnessed a number of Bermudian girls and guys come to the studio, see us working, fall in love with what we were doing and try to get a position in the company as trainees. The company said no, that they had too many people.

"They lied to immigration saying the young boy wasn't getting paid when I knew for a fact he was getting paid."

One former member of the Immigration Board calls it all a "delicate balancing act", in regards to sustaining a strong economy and a healthy social environment.

"You have to balance providing labour for the existing businesses that hold up the economy versus providing employment for the indigenous people of the country," said the businessman who spent two years on the board.

Even with a college degree, he experienced frustrations in trying to find work in his profession, computer programming.

"It's needs more than a few band-aid fixes and lip service. it's going to take drastic action. It's not as simple as people think it is. Also we're maxed out on our infrastructure as far as housing and transportation when we talk about sustainable development.

"We're still trying to bring workers in and they are adding to the housing issues and transportation issues. And the poor people are being squeezed out at the bottom. They are starting to react and that's why we have the problems that we have out there."

He added: "What Terry Lister said to me when I met with him is with the housing you get the companies that bring in people at the high end of the real estate market and the Bermudians who would have been at the high end are pushed to the middle.

"The people who would be the middle are pushed to the bottom and the guys who were at the bottom are pushed out to live in their cars."

Recently a real estate company ran an ad in the paper seeking executive housing for new guest workers which supports that suggestion.

It read: "Urgently required, executive homes available for rent. If you have an executive home that you are seeking to rent to suitable qualified tenants, don't hesitate! Call today! Within the next month we have more than two dozen executives relocating to the Island and we are urgently seeking homes to accommodate them."

The former board member got to see how the immigration department worked while serving during his tenure. He is in favour of a time restriction on work permits.

"There are a lot of Bermudians unemployed and had difficulty getting a job because when there was no work permit restriction all companies would do was make lame excuses to keep renewing work permits," he said.

"I know that from looking through the files. There is some acceptance among some board members of that type of behaviour.

They take these companies excuses as gospel, investigate some, but some things are blatantly obvious and they just go ahead and rubber stamp it with the argument we can't keep a company without a worker."

The businessman believes there are two reasons why some companies prefer ex-pat workers over locals.

"They don't want to promote Bermudians up the ladder and also there is the control mechanism," he stated. "When you have somebody on a work permit you can get them to do exactly what you want. But the Bermudians can challenge you.

"You have a lot of ex-pats who like Bermuda as a country and economy - they make more money here than most places - and they try to stay here as long as they can. In the end we're going to create more long term residents, even though they say that's not what they want to do."

He added: "I've seen it all. We can discuss this topic until the cows come home. That's why the UBP got voted out of power. They had a lot of supporters who were sending their children away to school and they were coming back to Bermuda and couldn't get a job.

"That's when you get a shift in the whole attitude. They were the greatest Government as long as they provided me with my opportunity to get my nice house and live my bourgeoisie lifestyle, but then all of a sudden, wait a minute I'm spending thousands of dollars on my child's education and my child can't get a job under your regime'.

"At the same time the PLP is putting Band-Aids on it. I remember when Paula Cox first announced a work permit limit, there were cries from the companies and she backed off.

"Terry Lister came along and reinforced it and now they are relaxing it for two areas, accounting and computers, and those companies are the two worst offenders."

Even before he became a politician, United Bermuda Party Senator Ken neth Bascome often talked about standard of living and quality of life and how they impact each other.

"We need to sit down and do some real brain storming across the board, people from all facets and every walks of life," said Mr. Bascome of the issue of growth.

"You are never going to have pure cohesiveness but if you allow Bermudians the opportunity to have impute I believe then there will be less resistance to expansion. I believe in consultation and input from the total community of Bermuda.

"Standard of living doesn't necessarily give you quality of life because what you may want may be completely alien to what I'm looking for. Raymond Russell was on the radio yesterday talking about looking out for people at the bottom end of the totem pole."

When taking Bermuda's size into consideration, there isn't much more for continued growth of the Island while at the same time retaining open spaces.

"You had Arthur Hodgson who talked sustainable development and Stuart Hayward talked about negative growth, but you have to have growth in order to facilitate the technologies of the world," Mr. Bascome stressed.

"I would like for Bermuda to be what it was 40 years ago, too, but I know it's not going to be that way."