Sonesta Beach's general manager has ruled out any possibility that the hotel will recognise union representation of middle managers while he heads the operation.

And according to Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess, Government had done the same.

Several middle managers at the South Shore, Southampton property have asked to be represented by the BIU.

The move followed a long-running controversy over 100 Southampton Princess middle managers' bid to join the BIU.

But Sonesta's Joseph Violi yesterday said he believed that union representation of managers was unnecessary and a conflict of interest.

"Who's going to abide by the rules, if they are members of the same union,'' he asked.

He added that only "three or four'' of more than 70 managers at the hotel had expressed interest in union recognition.

"We're not talking like at the (Southampton) Princess where there were over a hundred,'' he noted. "We're talking three or four guys. They made an application. But I have over 70 managers.'' However, Mr. Violi pointed out that any employee in the hotel industry was allowed to join the union; that is have union dues deducted from their pay.

"And that's all these guys have done,'' he said. "But they're not covered under the collective bargaining agreement.

"We will never recognise the union as representing them in a collective bargaining agreement.'' While declining to discuss the union's next possible course of action, Mr.

Burgess said: "The attitude is that they're going to do exactly as they want to do.

"They have no respect for the rights of the management people.'' And he noted that the Southampton Princess situation had not changed since last year when middle managers approached the hotel to try to establish a collective bargaining agreement.

Princess regional vice president Stephen Barker at that time warned unionised middle management could have "catastrophic'' implications for the hotel industry.

Shortly afterwards a coalition of Government and its agencies was set up to examine the issue of mandatory union recognition.

And in March, after some 1,000 workers walked off their jobs in support of Hamilton Valcleners and Paget Dry Cleaners workers who sought union recognition, Dr. Saul promised new legislation on union recognition.

He said the legislation was to follow a model clause by the International Labour Organisation of which Bermuda is a signatory member.

The ILO model allows for ballots, certification if the workplace vote is in favour and decertification if a majority of workers want to become non-unionised.

But yesterday Mr. Burgess accused Government of succumbing to the wishes of employers and making an "about turn''.

He pointed out that a draft of the legislation promised by Dr. Saul excluded management personnel.

"The unions of Bermuda have made it quite clear that they cannot accept that,'' Mr. Burgess said. "It puts the unions out of business.

"This was something that was promised by the then Premier Saul and now the Government has turned around and gone against what they have promised the people. It is typical of the Government.'' Labour Minister Quinton Edness was off the Island yesterday and unavailable for comment.

But in an attempt to clarify Government's position in May, he said amendments to the Trade Unions Act were not intended to cover staff from the supervisory level up who were privy to confidential information on the company, and who had the authority to discipline, hire and fire.

"In this regard we are following the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation guiding policy,'' he said. "This doesn't mean management staff cannot associate.'' TOURISM TOU