Party backbench MP has charged.

While two firms were recently convicted in Magistrates' Court for employing undocumented workers, more prosecutions can be expected, Mrs. Grace Bell MP told The Royal Gazette .

The number of work permits in the cleaning and landscaping industries has dropped substantially since 1990, but the number of foreign workers has not, Mrs. Bell said.

"I'm aware that there will be a couple of cases going to court,'' she said.

"Some of the firms being accused of this actually hold Government contracts.'' Firms using illegal workers can pay lower wages and therefore compete unfairly with companies like her own which employ mainly Bermudians, she said.

"When it comes to Government contracts, in some cases I haven't even bothered to quote, because we know we don't stand a chance,'' said Mrs. Bell, managing director of Houseprouds Cleaning Service on Reid Street. "I'm speaking out for all of those small people who have been trying to survive.'' "There's been a cleverly-orchestrated plan being carried out by certain people in this Country,'' she said. "This well-orchestrated plan is being carried out in defiance of what the Minister of Immigration (the Hon. Irving Pearman) has been trying to bring about.

"I have all kinds of information coming to me from all kinds of sources that tells me some people are still digging in their heels and still proceeding with these plans.'' "One firm has bragged of having 150 non-Bermudian workers,'' she said. "We all find that a bit astonishing.'' The plan involves the use of visitors -- mainly from the Azores -- by cleaning, landscaping, and other firms, she said. Most of the workers involved have friends or relatives to stay with while they are in the Country for three to six months. "It has probably been going on for many years.'' The St. George's South MP believes some temping agencies are involved, in addition to some cleaning and landscaping firms.

Not only are Bermudians being deprived of jobs, but Government is being cheated of work permit fees, employment tax, and other revenues, she said.

And Government's Manpower Survey is likely distorted, because companies will under-report the number of employees they have if some of them are illegal.

The visitors will often arrive on a weekend and start work on Monday morning -- with no documentation whatsoever, she said. Visitors are able to stay in Bermuda for up to three months, then will often apply to stay for a further three months.

Largely due to concerns she has voiced, she believes the Labour and Home Affairs Ministry is now taking the problem seriously and has taken steps recently to address it.

Chief Immigration Officer Mr. Neville Smith could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Until now, "other than Mr. Alex Scott (of the Opposition Progressive Labour Party), not too many people have been worried about this being a problem,'' she said.

To stop the illegal practice, fines for hiring illegal workers must be hiked, she said. The workers themselves should be dealt with in court, not just sent packing to their homelands. And the companies which employ contractors who use illegal workers should also be punished, she said. Finally, the Immigration Department needs more inspectors to keep up with the problem.

In December, ACE Cleaning and Landscaping was fined $2,000 for employing a Portuguese visitor.

And earlier this month, Davis & Christensen Ltd. was fined $2,500 for employing a guest worker without a permit. In that case, Magistrates' Court was told a permit had been applied for but not yet approved.

Mrs. Grace Bell MP