The Island's immigration policy is failing and needs to be changed because qualified Bermudians cannot get work, Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) leader Derrick Burgess said last night.

Mr. Burgess, a Progressive Labour Party backbencher and member of the immigration board, addressed a heated public meeting at BIU headquarters in which Bermudians angrily claimed they were qualified for jobs but could not get them because employers were bringing in foreigners.

"It's quite obvious the system isn't working for us. I've seen adverts that were tailor-made for someone (arriving) at the airport or who is already here," said Mr. Burgess.

"I get annoyed because Bermudians are not getting annoyed. I don't want to hear no more nonsense about people not having enough experience. You don't have experience when you leave school, you get experience by having a job.

"Bermudians have got to demand that they get the job. A lot of us just take it. The system is not friendly towards Bermudians so we have got to change the system."

Mr. Burgess was addressing a meeting organised by fellow PLP MP Dale Butler in response to concerns from Bermudians who say they are qualified but cannot get jobs.

Mr. Butler organised a committee last night to look at the problems and took the names of an estimated 100 people who say they are struggling to find work.

Some said they did not know if jobs advertised in the newspaper were real jobs or just work permit renewals, and others said they wanted feedback to know what skill shortages were preventing them getting work.

But there was a general sense of anger and feeling that employers were claiming a lack of experience was the reason they were hiring guest workers rather than Bermudians.

One young Bermudian woman said she had a bachelor's degree in forensic science but could not get a job on the Island after returning from the US.

Another said: "Who do they give these jobs to? We know its an ex-pat but we want to know who it is. In the newspaper we can see jobs that are advertised for people they want. If I can see it, the Government should be able to see it, and its really upsetting."

One man who said he was a qualified computer technician was working as a kitchen porter. He said he came back to the Island in 1974 and worked for Works and Engineering and wanted to work in computers when Government switched to mainframes. He claimed that when he applied, he was told by a Canadian supervisor to stay where he was.

He said he was fed up submitting a resume to Immigration when he applied for jobs and said he wanted Bermudianisation enforced. "Is it genuine or are we just spouting hot air?" he asked.

A Bermudian woman who said she was a qualified assistant controller with computer skills, said she had been unable to find work since November last year, and was even told she was not qualified to answer a telephone as a receptionist.

She said she could not get a job at Bank of Bermuda but had to work cleaning the offices at night.

"I see a league of nations coming out of the Bank of Bermuda and you go on the streets and you hear all the different accents yet we Bermudians can't get jobs to survive," she said.

"I'm hurting bad and I'm angry. Why do we Bermudians end up on Court Street or at the Salvation Army when you walk around town and hear a league of nations getting our jobs?"

Another young Bermudian woman said she had a degree in journalism, yet when she applied to corporate communications departments on the Island, there were foreign workers employed there who had degrees in history.

"I am ready to throw my degree in the trash, but everyone is telling me to keep my head up," she said.

"Is it going to change? In 2000 we had this same type of meeting and conversation. I'll have to take out a loan to be an accountant, or maybe not. What can I do to make a buck? I am ready to pack up and take my child and leave."One woman claimed she twice applied for a senior job at the same company and received a letter of rejection two days after the deadline. She believed the position had obviously been pre-filled.

She said Immigration should be rigorous in asking companies which did not employ Bermudians to supply names of those who applied and if they interviewed them.

She claimed there was a lack of information and transparency at Immigration and said she suspected the department was simply "rubber stamping" work permit applications.

"Work permits should not be allowed if six Bermudians apply and one ex-pat applies and the Bermudians are not interviewed. We need to look at the companies that are repeat offenders and screen them more effectively and if a Bermudian is qualified, out of professional courtesy, they should be interviewed."

Tomeeka Talbot broke down in tears as she told of her frustration at coming home after failing to get a job and being told by her grandmother it was because Bermudians weren't qualified.

"Every person here (in this room) has said they are qualified. That's c**p. We get c**p from working Bermudians and c**p from ex-pats, and they don't even deserve to be here."Mr. Butler said Labour and Training should be responsible for contacting Bermudians who had been unsuccessful in getting jobs to find out the reason why.

They needed to find out if Bermudians had turned down the job and if it was because of the pay level. They also needed to determine if a training course was needed to fill a skills gap.

"We are trying to ensure that the next time we have a meeting, there are fewer people here. The employers, Bermuda International Business Association, and Immigration want feedback. And the Minister (of Home Affairs Terry Lister) has said make sure I get a report."Director of Labour and Training Larry Burgess said a lot of people look at job adverts and assume they are work permit renewals so they don't apply. Adverts should make it clear they were for legitimate jobs so people would not be deterred from applying.