Earlier this month, Tourism Permanent Secretary Cherie Whitter met Bermuda's overseas Tourism staff to give them the news they didn't want to hear: Bermudian jobs were being outsourced to US firm Sales Focus.

It meant up to 20 Bermudians — some of whom had given 30 years' service to the Department of Tourism — had just a few weeks to find new jobs, homes and schools for their children on the Island.

Staff were also told the Americans taking their jobs to sell Bermuda would be sent away for training ... to Bermuda.

Rumours were already rife among employees before the July 9 meeting, with some having already seen their jobs advertised on the Internet and Tourism's 'Feel The Love' logo prematurely emblazoned on Sales Focus' website.

Emotions ran high, with union boss Ed Ball at one point asking Mrs. Whitter and Tourism Director Ian MacIntyre to leave the room so that staff could compose themselves.

Here are excerpts from a transcript of the two-and-a-half hour meeting handed to The Royal Gazette:

Regarding premature advertising of jobs by Sales Focus, Mr. Ball: "No contractor acts on something without final approval. So Cabinet, or anyone that negotiated, had to take this further. I am here listening and I really am angry because this is bad business practice."

Staff member: "How do we deal with this? Someone gets a call yesterday, a BDM gets a call while driving, and she is totally distraught because an outsider called her to say her job is posted on the Internet.

"And then all of us begin to pull up and discover our jobs are posted, and (name withheld) job has been posted for quite some time. We are sales people. We dig deep, and then we made a phone call to Sales Focus and they were willing to give us all the information on when they posted the position and when the position is closing. You know that it's very difficult for us.

"If you want to change the goalposts, then give us some new cleats. But don't advertise the position that is a duplicate of what I do when I have not failed at it. What is the justification?"

Another staff member: "I am the person on the road when I got the phone call yesterday.

"Luckily I am able to keep my wits about me because I could have crashed your leased car or hit another car.

"I was so shocked to find out. For valued employees, it is a slap in the face to find out that the company values us so little that they advertise the position before they even give us the common courtesy to let us know what is going on.

"If they hadn't signed a contract, it needed to be made clear to them beforehand that they are not to be posting any positions."

Regarding replacing Bermudians with Americans, a staff member: "Why would you displace Bermudians? Single mothers who have compromised their situation to come and dedicate their time?"

Another staff member: "I cannot imagine that the Bermudian taxpayer would love to hear that this entire room with the exception of a few will be unemployed.

"And there will be an American getting a cheque from hardworking Bermuda taxpayers' dollars. This doesn't make good sense."

Another staff member: "So some little 20-year-old with a college degree and three years' sales experience can come in and do my job. I want to see what happens when they cannot answer questions unless they are from Bermuda."

Mr. Ball: "They want you to train them."

Staff member: "Hell will freeze over before I train anybody to do my job."

Mrs. Whitter: "We will use our resources to train."

Staff member: "Don't call us resources, we are people. Resources are pens and books. That is very impersonal. We're not resources. We're staff."

On staff being kept in the dark for months, a staff member: "If we are so valuable, why is it that we can ask you all these questions, but you could never come to us and tell us this was going to happen or that this was being planned for us?"

Mrs. Whitter: "I can answer that. The issue is that we are implementers in Bermuda Government as civil servants.

"Until Cabinet has made a policy decision, then no decision has been made."

Another staff member: "We are not unreasonable people. But we asked for communication. For over a year, we have asked for communication. And nothing.

"I don't get it. And now you expect us to sit here and in an hour understand that you're sorry that they did something. That is not enough."

On her input in the decision, Mrs. Whitter: "It is a business decision that the Government has made. We are standing here as representatives of Bermuda Government.

"This is not our decision. This is not something that we had the ability to change or influence. We could, and we have, provided advice.

"At the end of the day, Cabinet made the decision. They do not have to take our advice. None of you in this room, unless you participated in the process, would understand the battle scars that we have to endure in going through this.

"You give advice and they accept or reject your advice. At the end of the day, we are implementers.

"For you, reception is reality. And that reality for us is sometimes painful. It is painful enough that you don't know about it.

"I can't stand here and share the details. I can't stand here and tell you how I've stood in front of you. But recall one thing. I stood here last year as Director of Tourism. I am not today."

On treatment from Government, a staff member: "We feel like we don't exist. We are Bermudian human beings.

"And this is how we are being treated. And we're supposed to have a one-hour meeting here and accept what you say and let you go on your way. They sent you to do their bidding."

Mr. Ball: "This has been the most insensitive Government that I have ever seen.

"I am ashamed to think even that people worked hard to get their positions. You don't treat people like that."

Staff member: "I remember in 1998 running down to Court Street because we were so excited that PLP won. A party for the people and this is what they're doing."