of its election platform.

At its daily Press conference at Alaska Hall, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Mrs. Lois Browne Evans stressed the PLP will introduce an immigration policy which focuses on Bermudianisation and training.

This was because the PLP recognised that employment opportunities for Bermudians are closely connected with the country's immigration policies, she said.

"We in the PLP will push for adequate employment opportunities to be made available for Bermudians, especially now that we are on the road to recovery in the aftermath of the recession.'' To achieve this, the PLP designed a seven-point plan, including: Limiting categories that are open to non-Bermudian work permit holders, and in which there are still qualified, unemployed Bermudians available; Requiring that work permits and their duration be directly linked to Bermudian trainee and understudy programmes where appropriate; Limiting the number of work permit renewals further; Introducing tax incentives embracing such taxes as the employment tax, hospital levy to encourage employers to take on Bermudian job trainees; Increasing the number of Immigration inspectors to ensure that work permit regulation violations are reduced; and Investigating creating a new system of "permanent residency'', not linked to any form of Bermudian status or voting rights, that will provide security of tenure to long-term residents who have made a contribution to Bermuda. The concept will be similar to the US' "green card'' system.

Mrs. Browne Evans said in addition to preserving the rights and livelihoods of Bermudians, a PLP Government will create an International Business Ministry to work closely with the Immigration and Labour Department in order to meet the needs of international businesses.

And, she said, the PLP have a firm commitment to "fostering a healthy climate of industrial relations''.

"A PLP Government will emphasise the importance of trust and understanding between key players on the labour front,'' she said.

"We will join with others to stress that labour relations can best be improved in the long-term by the participants understanding the concerns of each other and agreeing on standards of behaviour in the interest of each other and the community.'' OCTOBER 1993 ELECTION