BERMUDA CableVision cancelled installation and repair appointments yesterday and closed its Church Street office as staff staged a sick-out in a dispute over a pay deal.

Staff are fed up at not having received backdated pay rises going back 18 months.

Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) leader Derrick Burgess said yesterday it was normal for a company to pay immediately when an arbitrated back pay deal had been struck. And he said this was the first time in his experience that there had been such a delay.

CableVision general manager Jeremy Elmas said yesterday that the company would abide by the deal, but only after a collective bargaining agreement between CableVision and the BIU had been signed.

Arbitrators ruled that CableVision staff should be awarded a 4.5 per cent pay hike for 2002, with further 4.5 per cent rises for both 2003 and 2004.

"When you go through arbitration, the first thing the employers should do is to pay the people their money," said Mr. Burgess.

"That is what normally happens. I have never seen any employer act like this.

"The award was made on April 14, nearly three months ago. And the last agreement expired on December 31, 2001, 18 months ago."

Asked about the collective bargaining agreement, Mr. Burgess said it was normal to have to "dot the i's and cross the t's" after an arbitration agreement had been reached - but he had never before known that to be a reason for a company to fail to pay backdated wages.

In a statement yesterday, Mr. Elmas said: "Due to a large number of technical employees who have unfortunately called in sick today, we would like to apologise to our customers that we will be unable to carry out any scheduled installation and repair appointments today (yesterday). In addition we have closed our Church Street office.

"We are currently in the process of calling each affected customer directly to advise them that we will reschedule their appointment as soon as these employees return.

"We do not wish to attempt resolution of employee issues through the media, but we do expect employees to follow agreed grievance processes.

"As we have previously stated we will abide by the agreement reached through the arbitration process as soon as the collective bargaining agreement is signed."

Mr. Burgess said while workers were still awaiting their money, further action was possible.