Premier Michael Dunkley apologised to union leaders last night after crunch talks to address the dispute over furlough days had to be delayed.

Government and the Bermuda Trade Union Congress (BTUC) were supposed to return to the negotiating table yesterday afternoon after thousands marched on Cabinet to protest over the imposition of continued furlough days on civil service staff.

But a succession of delays on the part of Government meant the meeting, which was originally scheduled for 3pm, did not take place at all.

As a result the BTUC has called another “urgent meeting” of its members at 9am at BIU Headquarters today, which is likely to replicate the extensive disruption to public services caused by yesterday’s protest.

Government announced last night that all public schools would be closed for the day and ferries and buses would stop running after 8.30pm.

In a statement released at just after 7pm Mr Dunkley reiterated the Government’s intention to seek a resolution.

“Following the commitment to dispatch technical officers to re-engage in the process, the Premier determined that it was important to convene a special Cabinet meeting late this afternoon to agree additional specific proposals that would allow the technical team to present definitive options to the BTUC,” the statement said.

“The BTUC was advised that the meeting would be deferred until later in the evening, however by the time technical officers arrived, the BTUC representatives had left the meeting.

“It is the Government’s intention to seek to reconvene a meeting with the BTUC tomorrow (Tuesday) to continue in good faith with its commitment to conclude this process.”

An earlier BTUC statement detailed a succession of calls between Government and the unions that began with a request for a half-hour extension from Cherrie Whitter, Assistant Cabinet Secretary, at 3pm.

“Around 3.45pm the Premier called to say that he wanted to update his Cabinet colleagues before the meeting was held,” the statement said

“After the Premier called, Ms Whitter called again and asked for the meeting to be held at 5pm instead of 3.30pm.

“Another call was received from Ms Whitter at 5.15pm to say that she was on her way.

“The BTUC left the BPSU offices at approximately 5.35pm and were informed later that Ms Whitter and the Financial Secretary, Anthony Manders, had arrived at the BPSU office at 5.50pm. As a result, no meeting was held.”

Yesterday’s march followed a defiant 10am open-air address of union members and supporters in Union Square before the Bermuda Industrial Union Headquarters.

The urgent meeting of BTUC over the looming expiry of the Bermuda Government’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with public workers, had been called on Friday after an ultimatum from Government that was branded “disturbing and disrespectful”.

The MOU, which allows for a mandatory unpaid day of leave each month for civil service workers, is set to expire at the end of March. Union members had been given a noon deadline by Mr Richards to reach a decision on the future of the deal.

According to BIU president Chris Furbert, Mr Richards’s letter threatened a suspension of Government services, with workers “unable to be paid”, if the austerity measure could not be renewed.

Jason Hayward, president of the BPSU, told the crowd that the union’s working group had presented Government with cost savings proposals in the range of $65 to $85 million, adding: “The Government avoided our proposals and said they could live with about $37 million of what we put on the table.”

Mr Hayward added: “How do you work with somebody for over a month, never mention furlough days, and then kick them under the table on the way out?”

Furloughs by Government workers have given Government $31 million over the course of 19 months, the BPSU head continued. Meanwhile, unionised workers have been threatened with a 19 per cent hike in their health insurance premiums come April 1 as a spending cut measure.

“Now they want more? Well, you ain’t getting it,” Mr Hayward told the crowd. “Now they say they’re going to take it.”

He added: “If the Government intends on taking our money, they intend on picking a fight. And we don’t intend on backing down.”

Calling for a collective march, Mr Hayward urged for order and calm to be maintained. Responding to cries of “enough is enough”, Mr Furbert told the gathering: “Sometimes you earn respect — and sometimes you demand command respect.”

Some vented anger as the crowd waited in drizzle outside Cabinet, and a number of people booed Mr Dunkley when he came out from the building, but the gathering of at least 4,000 people largely stuck to those orders.

“We shouldn’t be going through this in 2015,” one supporter told The Royal Gazette. “Our forefathers paved the way so we wouldn’t have to.

“There is no way in hell that I’m going to let my two nephews coming up — one of them is 15, one’s 18 — go through this garbage.”

Mr Furbert emerged later to say there had been a lot of dialogue, but the atmosphere of the meeting was tense.

described the atmosphere of the meeting inside as “very tense”.

“We’re very concerned that Government wants to use Government workers and only Government workers to achieve their ends,” he added, before heading back in. Marchers stood strong despite a strengthening rain, and passing cars on Front Street honked their support.

Union representatives returned near 1pm alongside Mr Dunkley, whose appearance prompted some heckling — causing Mr Furbert to call sharply for quiet.

A chorus of anger broke out as Mr Furbert said the Premier had not taken furlough days off the table.

The BIU president insisted that the BTUC had not capitulated, but emphasised that a collective decision had to be reached.

Mr Dunkley occasionally struggled to make himself heard as he thanked the BTUC, telling marchers: “Let’s be very clear again. We face a very difficult position.”

Government “can’t keep spending money”, he added.

“If we keep kicking the can down the road, it’s not going to work,” Mr Dunkley said.