A report by the Integrity Commission has uncovered rule breaches by the Ministry of Labour & Social Security in the granting of work permits to foreign construction workers.
The breaches were detected during investigations into the grant of permits to workers at Moon Palace Jamaica Grande Hotel.
The Integrity Commission says the breaches occurred in 2014 and 2015.
The Integrity Commission says, from August 2014 to February 2015, the Minitry processed 155 work permit applications for Mexican nationals to be employed at the hotel.
But it says the application forms submitted for the permits were incomplete and they were not accompanied by required documentation such as the respective work experience details, proof of qualification, employer details, resumes and police records.
The Integrity Commission says the Ministry claimed it was unable to provide certain work permit documentation for scrutiny because flooding in the first quarter of 2020 damaged files which were stored in the Work Permit Unit.
The Ministry said the damaged files may have included the work permit applications for the Moon Palace construction and renovation project.
The Commission's Director of Investigations notes however that the documentation was requested by the then Office of the Contractor General prior to the 2020 flooding.
He has concluded that the process which led to the issuance of work permits to the foreign nationals during the period was irregular and lacked transparency.
The Director of Investigation also questioned the basis on which then Labour Minister, Derrick Kellier, had satisfied himself regarding the legitimacy of the applications, given the missing supporting documentation.
He has recommended that the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry undertake a review of internal administrative guidelines which govern the processing of work permit applications and move to ensure they are followed.
He has also recommended proper storage of records.
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