The owner of the Island?s largest landscaping company called for Government crackdowns on illegal workers yesterday after discovering that one of his own employees was also working illegally at a local restaurant.

?People are turning a blind eye, and it?s just not fair,? Jeff Sousa of Sousa?s Landscape Management Co. said last night.

?I understand that people are coming here and trying to better themselves,? he said, pointing to his own Portuguese heritage. ?But when it?s done illegally. If they get injured working illegally on a construction site one night, who do you think they call in sick to? They call in to me.

?A lot of people in this country have made a fortune off it. It?s very expensive to do business legally here and it?s not fair for those who do it by the book.?

Mr. Sousa, who has been concerned about the issue for two decades, finally went to the media after one of his own employees was spotted working illegally at Primavera Restaurant last Friday ? just days after signing a letter (written in English and Portuguese) to all Sousa?s employees stating that if they were caught working illegally, they would be terminated.

Sure enough, the employee was fired the morning after he was discovered.

?On the work permit it states they are not allowed to work for anyone else ? this is illegal,? Mr. Sousa said.

?It happens two ways. There are people here on a contract that is specific to one job, but are working at another job on top of that. And there are non-Bermudian family members coming for three-month ?vacations?, staying with their brother or whoever, and working illegally.

?I know for a fact it?s going on, because I?ve had my own employees asking if I?d do it, and I said no,? he said, citing several other examples where the practice has occurred.

?It?s just so blatant. This has been taking place in the landscaping, construction and cleaning industries for a donkey?s years.?

Employers who employ illegal workers are just as much to blame as the workers themselves, he said.

?You want to compete? Compete with myself and other legitimate businesses and we?ll see who?s a better business. Bring the competition on. I pay for my work permits, find housing, do all the administrative stuff behind the scenes ? for other people it?s great, they don?t have to do that administration.?

His business also suffers when his employees are overworked, he said. If a worker is tired from working nights, gets injured or ill while doing an illegal job, and makes insurance claims from their legal employer, ?they?re taking from me?.

The Immigration Department does not have the manpower to tackle the problem, he said. ?I called the Immigration hotline and there was no response ? not even an answering machine.?

The Department is purely reactionary, he said, only working cases that are brought to them and lacking officers to take initiative.

Mr. Sousa will be following his own case involving the employee terminated last Friday very, very closely, he said ? and he also planned to bring the wider issue up with the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety. ?I?ve brought it up to Immigration on numerous occasions in the past.

?If they want to show they are serious, put a task force together. If you see a person coming here for three months on vacation, you should be suspicious. The records are there, we know who?s coming and going, we need to monitor it.

?Somebody should be asking questions. If it?s not dealt with it will continue because there is no penalty.?