August 25, 2014

Dear Sir,

The recent increase in membership dues by the Bermuda Industrial Union leadership has fuelled a “narrative of shock and awe”. The workers of this union, in particular for the last several years, have led the way through financial sacrifice, albeit the unemployed even more so.

The BIU as partners with the Trade Union Congress and Government actively sought price restraint in the food and utilities industries with credible success, and must be applauded. However, this recent levy on its own members “tastes salty at best”.

Hotel workers have endured a wage freeze for a number of years, coupled with a loss of gratuity earnings through the drastic drop in guest numbers. The unionised sector have little to cheer about in terms of income, and many have either left the industry or been forced to become clients of the government department of financial assistance.

Government blue collar workers, the largest pillar of the BIU membership, have more recently sacrificed through accepting days in lieu for overtime payment, a six-month freeze on overtime and more recently a monthly furlough day (pay cut). These cuts taking place in an environment where lending institutions expect loan payments on time, insurance companies want premiums paid in full and retail prices move vertically.

Statistics point out that any household in Bermuda earning less than $70,000 per annum is living in poverty. The vast majority of BIU members are taking home less than $50,000 a year. Single-income families headed by Government and hotel workers, and others in the private sector, fall into this category. People are breathing underwater.

President Chris Furbert, in a BIU press conference, was clearly transparent when he stated that the BIU was a business. If so, are the members fully engaged in understanding that a workers movement founded in 1947 by our foremothers and fathers, led by Dr EF Gordon and others for the betterment of all members, has now become a corporate entity? When and where did this conversation take place, and did this new perspective mushroom out of the democratic processes on which this honourable organisation was built?

The membership have a right in fully understanding this transition to a business mould, so they can become aware of and involved in implementing best business practices needed in government of this entity as they are member shareholders. Constant arrears in audit reports (three years currently), should awaken member shareholders to the absence of credibility in how their business entity is managed. How would Dr Gordon speak to this?

A calculation of BIU membership dues annually under the new $14 a week deduction, would amount to nearly $3,000,000. Include revenues from a thriving gas station, hundreds of square feet of rental income, a taxi service and two cinemas, this is quite a sum of money. Where is the beef?

So yes, it can be agreed that the BIU has its business entities (dues investments), yet the unanswered question is “how is the membership benefiting financially from these union investments?” Why a dues increase at this critical time, while understanding that union paying members are shareholders in all the union revenue earners mentioned above? What amount of money is being generated, and how can members gain on their investments during a period when the membership is most in need?

I believe CEO Chris Furbert abandoned transparency when he challenged the media to compare salaries at the BIU with those at other businesses. But of course that challenge to the media will be useless as no figures on salaries was offered, nor businesses to compare with. Maybe we could start with the BPSU?

The qualities needed of blue collar leadership today requires commitment to a progressive movement, high levels of selflessness, sacrifice and a modest lifestyle. If leadership does not demonstrate, members won’t duplicate.

As a spiritually-centred community we must examine the paths of our prophets and those that modelled their strengths. The Bible speaks of Christ and his disciples feeding thousands of hungry people whom had followed him for three days and were without food. With scarce resources comprising of seven loaves of bread and a few fish, all were fed including men, women and children. An amazing feat. The question arises for me, unanswered in the text is, at what point did Christ eat? Did he eat before the children and seniors? Or would Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon Him) have eaten after they were all fed?

How does our leadership of today match up for you?

LYNN MILLETT