Customs officers are circulating a letter claiming Bermudians are being overlooked for top posts.

And the letter claimed Collector of Customs Winifred Fostine-Desilva had issued misleading statements to the press on the subject.

It said she had said foreign applicants were being sought for the Assistant Collector, Travellers and Enforcement post because there was no one on the Island who had the required degree plus five years' senior management experience.

But in letter released to The Royal Gazette officers deny her claim that, with only one exception, customs employed only graduates in top posts.

The letter writers named four holders of the Assistant Collectors post who had not been graduates while claiming the previous Collector Bill LeDrew had not been a graduate.

The letter said staff had been promised that Bermudians would be considered in future but the current Assistant Collector's post had then gone to another outsider.

They also said the current financial administrator has had her work permit extended while suitably qualified in-house staff had not been given the chance to shadow her, despite one having a Master's degree in finance.

The letter writers said: "How can they say he is not ready/qualified unless he has been given the opportunity? This is the same degree Mrs. Fostine-Desilva holds.

"Promotion is now based only on an interview and an assessment test - so why do we complete work appraisals? "What happened to integrity, teamwork/team building, commitment, work performance? "Why do we have a mandate?"

Bermuda Public Services Union president Nigel Pemberton said his union was looking at various Government departments through a joint consultative committee.

He said: "We are going through that process so I can't speak to many issues.

"It's probably an aggrieved group down there who just can't wait for the process but we are having on going meetings."

Mrs. Fostine-Desilva said the letter was misleading in many instances.

She said: "The letter as drafted also invades the privacy of named current and previous Customs workers while the writer(s) have shielded their own identity behind a pen-name.

"For the record, Bermuda Customs is currently undergoing a modernisation programme and the job requirements for the Assistant Collector's post have changed substantively.

"Therefore, it would be inappropriate to compare the previous post holders' qualifications to those of the current/future post holders as we no longer carry out business in the same manner.

"The Government of Bermuda is committed to Bermudianisation. As such, Customs is working diligently to train Bermudians for upward mobility.

"We continue to provide assistance to all officers who are seeking to improve their skills via attachments to other Government Departments and education grants for both local and overseas training programs.

"Finally, promotions within Government are approved by the Public Service Commission to ensure transparency and fairness."