The Premier said the union’s march on Cabinet during today’s Throne Speech showed democracy was alive and well.

Hundreds of union members this morning gatecrashed the Throne Speech as they marched on Cabinet in a dispute over pay.

In an unprecedented move members of the Bermuda Public Services Union this morning descended on Parliament, but stopped to make way for the Governor Sir Richard Gozney to deliver the Government’s legislative programme for the year.

During the protest, which followed a union meeting at 10 a.m., President of BPSU Armell Thomas told The Royal Gazette they are currently in the middle of negotiations with Government about salary increases.

“Today we are moving forward,” he said. “This is great turnout, thank you very much. The message has been sent out strong. All for one and one for all.

“The purpose of the meeting is to update the members about negotiations from the civil servants. We have to go back and meet with the Premier. I don’t know when that meeting will take place but I have sent a letter. We are negotiating salaries.

Asked why they marched on Cabinet grounds Mr. Thomas said: “Anyone can attend so we did it as a body. It’s not a march. We walked on the sidewalk.

No-one tried to stop us.”

According to Mr. Thomas, Government is offering a four percent increase, however the BPSU wants 5.1 percent because Government wants to take out one percent for pensions.

The Premier spoke at a news conference after the speech today and said: “We will be meeting with the leadership. I thought we had something scheduled already.

“It showed that democracy is alive and well in Bermuda.”

The protest coincided with a meeting by the ferry crews from 8 a.m. over the sacking of Dwayne Pearman, the pilot who crashed a ferry while drunk.

* Due to the protest the Transport Control Department was closed this morning.

According to a Government spokesperson the “public will be advised when TCD’

s services have resumed”.

See this website for further updates and tomorrow’s Royal Gazette for the full story.