The row surrounding the sacking of ten hotel workers has escalated and residents will have to find their own way to work and school today.

Bus and ferry workers have opted to strike in support of the Fairmont Hamilton Princess staff members, and will attend a meeting at the Bermuda Industrial Union this morning.

While recognising the chaos their action is likely to cause Chris Furbert, the Bermuda Industrial Union president, defended the stance, claiming he was acting in the interests of future generations.

“We understand that these are difficult times but you can be assured of this, if this organisation is gone tomorrow the wrath that you will feel from the employers in this country, and others, you won’t want to know that,” said Mr Furbert.

“This organisation was built for us by our forefathers, we are the current caretakers, and we are going to make sure that we have this [the union]. First of all have this for our children, and our children’s children.”

The decision to strike this morning, with buses and ferries not running ‘until further notice’, was taken following the second of two protest marches yesterday, and was the culmination of a day that saw tensions steadily rise.

Beginning with unionised staff at the Fairmont Southampton walking out, a bus and ferry strike midway through the day that left hundreds of passengers stranded the length and breadth of the Island, and finishing with a protest march involving some 500 workers, the row that had been brewing for several days finally boiled over.

In a symbolic show of force the second march stopped outside the Cabinet Office before finishing at BIU headquarters.

“Don’t wait for a bus, because it’s not coming. Don’t wait for a ferry, because it’s not coming,” said Mr Furbert, addressing a raucous crowd of cheering workers.

Industrial action could yet spill over into other areas of the Island’s workforce, with the Bermuda Public Service Union confirming that they are monitoring the situation. Although no decision on joining any strike has been made.

While the union flexed its muscles, Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy, who has previously criticised Fairmont management for failing to consult with the union over the dismissals, warned that his tolerance of any strike action would only go so far.

Confirming that Government ‘recognised the rights of workers to demonstrate in solidarity for their cause’, he added: “We must be mindful that there are mechanisms in place which allow for the proper protocols to be followed so that it doesn’t result in a disruption of services to the public.”

However, any resolution seems a long way off, with confusion surrounding the progress, if any, or arbitration talks between the two sides.

Although Mr Fahy sent the matter to an arbitration panel this past weekend, the BIU has so far refused to take part until the sacked staff have been reinstated. And Mr Furbert accused Fairmont of insulting the union in a previous meeting he labelled ‘a disaster’.

“They [Fairmont] insulted us on two occasions in that meeting and when they insulted us a second time we walked out,” said Mr Furbert.

“First of all, if we’re going to talk about industrial relations in goodwill, then we have to operate in goodwill, and there was no goodwill today on behalf of the employer.

“They wanted us to have a conversation about courtesy. The meeting can’t be about courtesy, the meeting has got to be about the collective bargaining agreement negotiated in good faith by the two parties.”

Even as late as yesterday afternoon Mr Fahy was talking about the arbitration process, and claimed the two sides were meeting to find a resolution.

“As it relates to the BIU/Fairmont disputes, at this time, I can advise that earlier this afternoon the parties came together with a view to discussing the matter in accordance with the arbitration process,” the Minister said

“We will continue to do our due diligence to monitor the situation and follow the guidelines set out under the Labour Relations Act 1975 to ensure that we come to some form of resolution that benefits all concerned.”

That came as something of a surprise to Mr Furbert, who maintained that the BIU would have no involvement in negotiations until the sacked staff were back at work.

“How do you sit down and draw up a tentative reference without one party being present,” he said. “I’m anxious to see exactly what they’re going to come up with terms of reference without the BIU being present.

“We have determined that we are not going to be involved in the arbitration process until things have returned back to normal, which means you put the bar porters back to work. Our members will then cease and desist from what they’re doing — any industrial action — and then the parties can go ahead and be involved in the arbitration process.”

Despite spreading to other sectors of the Bermuda workforce, the crux of the matter remains the sacking of ten hotel workers by Fairmont, who the BIU claim did not follow ‘normal processes’ when making them redundant.

While Mr Fahy is reluctant to get involved in any negotiations, the knock on effect on the Island’s ‘precarious’ tourism industry is cause for concern.

“We must be mindful of the current state of our economy and the hospitality industry,” said the Minister.