Opposition Leader Marc Bean and Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy delivered duelling speeches in recognition of yesterday’s Labour Day Holiday.

While Sen Fahy said Government has been working to create job and training opportunities for Bermudians, Mr Bean said the public have been “deceived, insulted, abused and disrespected” over the past two years, calling on people to speak out about their frustrations.

“We have had enough,” Mr Bean said. “Our people are fed up, heartbroken and dissatisfied over the way we are being treated in our own country and we have had enough.

“We are frustrated at having the right skills, right attitude, right training and still not having the opportunity to earn a living and provide for our families.

“We are frustrated from seeing people with less experience, less skills and less qualifications being brought in on work permits to be our boss. We are frustrated at being turned away from jobs we can do because they say we are overqualified.

“They told you that there would be shared sacrifice. They told you we’d come together as Bermudians. They told us to sing kumbaya and we’ll get there together, but while we were singing they were slinging more money into everyone’s pockets but yours.”

He highlighted the struggles of local labour icons including Dr EF Gordon, Dr Barbara Ball, Ottiwell Simmons and Dame Lois Browne Evans, saying Bermuda owes them and other trailblazers too much to remain silent.

“We were made to fight for what is right,” he said. “And in the names of those great trailblazers of justice we will fight, we will struggle and we will not be silenced.

“But as we fight against what is wrong we must also bring forward an agenda that elevates the condition of all Bermudians, breaks the cycle of dependency and work towards moving from those who are labour to those who hire labour,” he said.

“From those who consume to those who produce. All while never forgetting our core principles and continuing to fight against those who would marginalise Bermudians or mistreat workers.”

Sen Fahy however emphasised the importance of collaboration, saying: “This Government recognises that labour has played a huge part in driving our economy as we seek to re-engage all Bermudians in the workforce so that we can all contribute to Bermuda’s future.

“We all want the same thing — the public sector, the private sector, the unions and, ultimately, the people and that is embracing the diversity of Bermuda’s workforce and transcending all cultural barriers to unite the entire community.”

He said that in the last year, the Government has taken many steps to help Bermudian workers such as unveiling the part one of the National Training Plan, establishing stiffer penalties for employers who hire staff without work permits and creating the Bermuda Job Board.

“Despite what many think — that unions and Government and employer groups are always at odds — there are in fact a plethora of success stories resulting from our successful collaboration,” he said.

“We do speak regularly. We are able to pick up phone and talk.

“And I want to encourage us to continue to have open and frank discussions to seek collaborative ways to improve the economy and grow jobs for Bermudians.

“Our differences in opinion can actually make us stronger and should not stand in the way of open dialogue.”