A manager at CedarBridge Academy was fired hours after a court order was filed preventing the school's board of governors from dismissing staff who refused to sign controversial contracts.

Bussie Ible, manager of information systems, was sacked on Monday for refusing to sign the contract which would allow his employment to be terminated at any time.

An injunction was launched in Supreme Court earlier that day where CedarBridge board of governors was told by Puisne Judge Ian Kawaley they could not fire managers who refused to sign the new contracts.

Yesterday, the board was summoned to court to ascertain whether it had breached the order. The matter was adjourned for a week to allow them to file affidavits.

Mr. Ible's lawyer Venous Memari argued the order was breached as soon as the school's operations manager, Stuart Crockwell, handed her client termination papers.

"It seems at some stage, somebody got instructions to do this," she said. "CedarBridge Academy, through its principal Kalmar Richards, was served with the order as well as the supporting affidavit."

CedarBridge lawyer Michael Smith described the proceedings as "draconian".

Mr. Ible, a Bermuda Public Service Union member, was off sick from work Monday. When he tried to log into his CedarBridge e-mail account from home, but he was unable to and went to the school.

At CedarBridge he was again unable to log in and found himself locked out of his office. Minutes later, Mr. Crockwell handed him the pink slip.

A former teacher at CedarBridge claimed Board of Governors' Chairman George Scott tried to get five managers to sign a contract saying they could be fired at any time. They had been working without a contract for a few years.

"They were forced to sign it with the impression that if they didn't, they would be terminated," the teacher explained. "Basically, the bottom line was that they refused to sign it.

"George Scott, Lovitta Foggo, Kalmar Richards and three others formed a subcommittee who work outside of the board. They worked together to terminate one of the managers."

She continued: "It looks like George Scott is trying to circumvent the injunction by using Stuart Crockwell as a henchman. The timing is too suspect to believe otherwise. George Scott is ignoring the law but he's not ignorant to the law."

Mr. Scott is the chief organiser of the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU).

The former teacher said Mr. Crockwell had to get orders from someone because he couldn't have fired Mr. Ible himself.

The Board of Governors is responsible for the hiring and firing of staff.

"George Scott should know this, of all people, because he's a union man. He should understand this. He should be sympathetic. Hopefully they will get what's coming to them and Bussie's job is restored because he did nothing to deserve it."

Meanwhile, a letter was hand delivered to The Royal Gazette saying Mr. Scott had turned his back on union values. Mr. Scott did not return calls by press time and the BPSU will not comment until the next hearing.