Government run ferries and buses were idle this morning as workers of the 4,000-strong Bermuda Industrial Union attended a meeting over a labour dispute with CableVision.

Around 600 BIU workers then marched through the streets of Hamilton mid-morning to demonstrate outside CableVision's Laffan Lane offices, before heading back to BIU headquarters.

The stoppage, which the BIU claimed was not a strike, affected Stevedoring Services.

Operations Manager Milton Scott said 90 percent of dock workers did not show up for work, despite being classed as an essential service.

He said ships were quite full because of the hurricane and there were 600 containers on the dock and 130 still aboard the freighter, the Somers Isles.

Caught in the logjam was five containers of slate imported by building supplies firm, SAL, to fix Fabian-hit roofs.

"There is a general concern expressed by the public and we have simply had to tell them the men are not here," said Mr. Scott.

"And once they get back to work we will be able to continue."

CableVision manager Jeremy Elmas was set to meet Labour Minister Randy Horton for a midday meeting in a bid to solve the dispute.

Government lawyers said Tuesday night they were primed to issue an injunction if no settlement could be reached by the end of Wednesday.

More than three hours of talks between Government, CableVision and the Bermuda Industrial Union failed to reach resolution last night, said Labour Minister Randy Horton.

He said he was distraught, particularly after the heroic efforts made by Bermudians in dealing with the hurricane Fabian's aftermath.

He said: "Sadly, almost unbelievably, we are now faced with industrial action."

He said he was "bitterly disappointed" about service interruption yesterday.

"Further interruption is threatened for tomorrow," said Mr. Horton.

He said by the end of today there would be resolution with service running as normal.

"I certainly hope there won't be a need for an injunction."

But he said he would be meeting Government lawyers about issuing an injunction if all else failed.

Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess said his 4,000-strong union was keen to reach a settlement.

He told The Royal Gazette last night: "We have been told by the workers that nothing is running tomorrow morning."

Asked if it would develop into an Island-wide strike following the meeting Mr. Burgess said he didn't know what would come from the floor.

He said: "What workers want is a settlement as soon as possible. We want to get this country back to normal as soon as possible."

But he said his union would not be cowed from taking action just because the country was still reeling from hurricane Fabian.

"It doesn't give management the right to do anything they want to.

"Just because your lights are out you don't let a thief come in and take everything else."

Tuesday afternoon's march through the streets of Hamilton to CableVision's Laffan Street headquarters was attended by around 800 workers including those from the Post Office, Marine and Ports, Works and Engineering, Public Transportation Board and BTC.

However Mr. Burgess said only the CableVision workers were officially on strike after two workers were fired recently.

The Royal Gazette understands the dispute centres around the sacking of a technician with 12 years experience at CableVision.

Mr. Burgess said the technician had a clean record but had been sacked for making a joke on Thursday.

CableVision boss Jeremy Elmas said the employee had "deliberately conspired to slow the output of co-workers in an attempt to increase overtime."

He said overtime had been plentiful since Fabian hit, with any worker who wanted it getting up to 20 extra double-time hours the weekend after the storm.

BIU vice president Chris Furbert said the sacked technician was being teased in a discussion about work rate by workmates.

The worker allegedly joked to a colleague that they should perhaps slow down after getting through a lot of work during the recent storm clear-up.

Mr. Furbert said: "It was in jest and was taken out of context."

But he said the "faster" worker was angered by the exchange and complained to Mr. Elmas who took his side and sacked the joker.

Mr. Elmas told The Royal Gazette the fired worker was conspiring to coerce colleagues to slack up and said he would take the same action again, despite its consequences.

Asked why it had escalated Mr. Elmas said: "We fire one individual and, as a result, there's an Island-wide strike? I can't answer that."

He said it was peculiar that CableVision was being blamed for the actions of the union.

"If I knew this was coming I don't feel I could have made any other decision other than fire the individual who was trying to slow down operations. We have a lot of work to do.

"This is unacceptable in a regular week, after Fabian, doing that is much more ludicrous."

And he said the union should have gone through the grievance procedure. However the union said that CableVision only sticks by the collective bargaining agreement when it suits it.

The union said back pay is still owed to some staff after a recent pay deal, but the company said it did not apply to temporary workers.

Mr. Burgess said: "The public have a right to be incensed about what's going on. How about that worker and his family and the members of this union?"

Mr. Elmas said a handful of CableVision's local workers had ignored the strike and had planned to join foreign crews working on Saturday repairing downed service.

"Unfortunately when we opened the CableVision offices on Saturday, 15 tyres on seven CableVision vans had been slashed and so over the weekend we were unable to repair trunk lines and distribution lines which connect the cable service to customers homes."

CableVision and the BIU had been in individual talks with Government on Friday and Monday before meeting for three hours of talks following the BIU march.

Asked about work on the docks yesterday, Mr. Burgess said the laws preventing workers from taking immediate industrial action in essential services but did not prevent them from attending meetings.

He said dockers would have to work today if there were goods outlined in law as essential items which were on the docks and workers had been notified.

"Then it comes off. We are not holding it up," said Mr. Burgess.