Government came under fire in the Senate yesterday, with Opposition Senate Leader Diallo Rabain claiming it was falling short on consultation and transparency.

Government Senate Leader Michael Fahy defended Government’s record and work to create jobs for Bermudians.

During the Senate’s Motion to Adjourn, Sen Rabain noted three events since the last Senate sitting last year — the reshuffle of the Cabinet, the dispute with the Bermuda Trade Union Congress (BTUC) and allegations of Government interference in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Sen Rabain the decision to name former Premier Craig Cannonier as the new Public Works Minister given how he left office, and said the Government had not carried out proper consultation with the BTUC on the subject of furloughs, leading to three days of industrial action which he referred to as “Occupy Cabinet”.

He also said Government had “effectively blocked” the PAC from investigating America’s Cup expenses by telling members of the civil service not to appear before the committee, despite the committee voting unanimously to hear the matter.

“If the committee has voted to look at America’s Cup last week, then obviously the Government members voted along with it,” he said.

Sen Rabain argued that it makes sense for the PAC to look at ongoing expenses, accusing the Government of acting in direct contradiction of it’s election promises to be transparent and accountable.

Senator Renee Ming said concerns had been expressed to her about the new Work Permit regime, particularly about contract renewals.

“If we have qualified Bermudians and they apply for jobs and the job is a renewal, what does that mean for them? That is a real concern. That seems to be something people are concerned about.”

Sen Fahy responded that the Work Permit Policy does not include the word “renewal” and that all applications are treated as first-time applications, stating: “In our view there should be no such thing as renewals.”

He also said that the OBA has introduced civil penalties for employers who breach work permit laws and requirements that employers not only list any Bermudians who apply for a position, but also provide their contact information and the reason why they were not selected.

Addressing the issue of consultation, he said the Government had been consulting the unions prior to the industrial action.

Sen Fahy also said that while under labour laws the unions are required to give advance notice before actions, but no notice was given. He added: “The way in which this transgressed was unfortunate because what many indicated, many people attended Union Square with the intention of a vote, a vote that didn’t happen. Many people I spoke to wanted to have a furlough day to save jobs, which was what this was about.”

While Sen Rabain had said Government had implied the Unions had brought the suspension of the Agricultural Exhibition and a cap to financial assistance to the table, Sen Fahy said that was not the case, telling the Senate that Government had brought the suggestions to the table because those were the steps necessary to prevent further furlough days.

“I don’t want people to take furlough days, but we are in a position where we have to make a decision about the budget,” he said.