The Bermuda Industrial Union’s decision to raise dues for its roughly 3,800-strong membership reflects an increase in operational expenses since the last hike in 2008, according to union head Chris Furbert.

“The BIU, whether or not a lot of people realise it, is a business — we have operational expenses which are mainly covered by dues, and have been since the union formed over 60 years ago,” Mr Furbert said at a press conference in union headquarters, billed as a conversation with the media to give an overview of its budgeting and decision process.

Operating expenses for the union include electricity, maintenance and professional fees, he said, adding: “As those costs continue to rise, so the union needs to address them.”

BIU delegates in March ratified a resolution to raise weekly fees from $12 to $14 — a decision then put in writing by the general secretary and approved by the Acting Registrar General for the first pay week of September.

The news had raised questions from members who contacted The Royal Gazette, claiming there hadn’t been consultation on the move.

One letter-writer accused the BIU executive of unfairly taxing membership, many of whom have been hit by furlough days, wage freezes and pay cuts.

According to the union, the call for a dues increase originated among the union’s 18 divisions rather than the BIU executive: three divisions put forward the resolutions, two of which are on furlough days.

The third division was said to be on a short work week.

The resolution, which Mr Furbert said raised dues just one percent ahead of the rate of inflation since 2008, was voted upon and passed by the June 5 Special Delegates Conference.

“I don’t want anyone thinking that in 2014 the BIU did something different,” he said.

“That increase doesn’t come from the executive board, from the president, or the general secretary. The divisions put forward those resolutions, and once those resolutions are adopted, then we are bound to carry those resolutions out.”

Mr Furbert said the last increase in dues would have been approved in November, 2007 and put in place in May or June of 2008.

Asked for budget details, the president said: “I don’t want to tell you what the BIU’s annual budget is — we have the treasurer, a budget is presented to the executive board, that budget is taken to the general council and we discuss it, as to whether or not it’s feasible, and that’s the business for the membership.

“Remember, the BIU has to file audited returns, and we’re up to 2011, we’re doing some work on 2012, so you’re able to go to the Registrar and get a copy of those statements. That’s about all I can tell you as it relates to our budget.”

He conceded that the $2 rise, as a 16.5 percent increase, represented “a fairly big increase”, but said detractors should look at the union’s efforts to keep its costs down.

“I don’t take it very lightly when someone asks me how I can go home and sleep at night,” Mr Furbert said, in reference to Monday’s letter published in The Royal Gazette.

“Appreciate and understand that this organisation doesn’t belong to the President or the general secretary. It belongs to the membership. So any time there’s an increase to take care of operational expenses, it’s to take care of the members’ business.”

Mr Furbert didn’t reveal the wages of top officials, but said they were “comparable to any other organisation like us”.

“I don’t think the wages here are excessive, because bear in mind that the hours of operation here for the organisers and official staff is from 9am, until. They don’t have a knock-off time. Sometimes we’re here until 10pm, 11pm. When divisional meetings are being held, we have to be here.

“In a given year, for the official staff, a normal 40-hour work week, which is 2,080 hours, I can tell you that most of the officers put down close to 3,000 hours every year. If you want to talk about salaries, let’s compare that. Those wages are not set by the executive board. They are set by the general council, that’s made up of all the division presidents, vice presidents, secretaries and assistant secretaries, of all the divisions. So any time we look at having a wage increase, that has to go before them. We don’t give ourselves increases.”

Official staff have not been given a wage increase since 2010, he said, while support staff haven’t been given any raises since 2011.

“We’ve all been on furlough days since October of last year. It’s extremely difficult. But we do recognise that once the Government workers took that furlough day, we had to make a decision to cut our expenses, to have layoffs or to give up a day, so everybody decided to give up a day.”