The Bermuda Festival has come under fire from the Bermuda Entertainment Union (BEU) for falling short on including local talent — despite the charity’s protest that its focus is on bringing international acts to the Island.

The BEU acknowledged receiving a direct deposit payment from the Bermuda Festival in December, containing proceeds from the processing of work permits.

The union also received a line-up of artists scheduled to perform: 92 foreign acts and four local entertainers for the prime-time stages.

A BEU statement yesterday said that fees would only be accepted once criteria had been met, such as checking that artists had been vetted by the American Federation of Musicians.

“Also, a suitable amount of local talent must be engaged to perform with an acceptable performance time whenever an international act is performing locally,” the BEU added, pointing to existing immigration policy.

Those rules are set to become more flexible next month, when a policy switch comes into effect. Under existing policy, hours worked by non-Bermudian entertainers should not exceed those allocated to locals, and those hours should be agreed in advance, the BEU said.

The union pointed out that general practice by immigration has been to ensure that requirements were met before issuing a work permit.

“To engage 92 foreign entertainers and four locals for major performances is a travesty and an insult to Bermudians and our talented entertainment industry,” the statement continued.

The union acknowledged receiving a statement from the Bermuda Festival in December 2012 that pointed out its not-for-profit status and limited budget, and saying its contracts with visiting groups precluded them from showcasing local entertainers at the contracted events.

Organisers said their focus was on “presenting world class groups of international acclaim, generally representing the classical performing arts”, and said there was already an extensive annual calendar of talented local artists.

The union nevertheless maintained that the line-up for the latest Bermuda Festival had been “unacceptable”, and questioned how permits for outside acts had been obtained without the documentation from the union.

“We respect the Festival’s concerns regarding the public statements of non-payment,” the statement closed.

“However, it is necessary for us to outline how payments are evaluated and equally important to address our concerns relative to Bermudian entertainers and work permits. Perhaps the new policy scheduled to be in effect on March 1, 2015, has already been implemented unbeknown to BEU and the people of Bermuda.

“In any case, we are still prepared to work with the Festival to ensure a satisfactory resolution for all concerned.”