WELL, well. What an interesting week we've had in Bermuda. First the Cabinet is giving themselves big raises. Then Belco does one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in my 42 years - they fired good, long-serving employees, then, after the fired employees and their sympathetic colleagues took industrial action (Belco didn't think they'd strike? Duh!), they hired them back. Somebody at Belco needs their head examined. They're trying to make it sound like a business decision but there has to be more to this than meets the eye. The guys they fired, (or, should I say tried to fire) all seem to be good people, good employees. They must be valuable employees if so many of their colleagues went on strike to support them. This whole thing is just bad and sad. And senior management at Belco have definitely been left with egg (and bacon!) on their faces.On an even sadder note, Mr. Richard Hector, QC, died earlier this week. Mr. Hector was truly a consummate gentleman, someone I, and many other young men, looked up to during their development. He was, as most people know, a brilliant lawyer, he was fair and he took a special interest in young Bermudian men. It is this last quality that I most admired in Mr. Hector. Coming here from Guyana so many years ago, he adopted Bermuda as his home and contributed much to this society. He will be missed by many. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of his family and close friends.

However, we'll revert to the MPs' huge pay hikes and the Belco case study in How Not To Treat Your Staff after the Top 20.

Holding at number one is the kicking new joint from the Queen of R&B, Mary J Blige, entitled Be Without You. This track is still holding it down at the top of the pops. Soaring to number two is So Sick by relatively new vocalist Ne-Yo. What a smooth, sensitive track. The brother also has a silky smooth voice to go along with a well-produced, down tempo joint.

Tumbling to number three is the first hit off Madonna's new CD, Hung Up, which is a former essential new joint. Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz improves to number four.

Falling to number five is Jamie Foxx, with his hit single Unpredictable, which is all over the radio and you hear it in all the nightspots.

At number six is another former essential new joint — Nasty Girl by The Notorious B.I.G., Nelly, Diddy, Jagged Edge and Avery Storm. You just gotta like Biggy.

Up to number seven is Yo (Excuse Me Miss) by Chris Brown. Down to number eight is the latest from Canadian/Guyanian diva Deborah Cox — House Is Not A Home. Tumbling to number nine is Grillz by Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali and Gip.

Beyonce is back! Check out her new joint, which she did with Slim Thug, entitled Check on It. This new hit climbs to number 10.

Improving to number 11 is the new one by Dem Franchize Boyz featuring Lil Peanut and Charlay, entitled Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It. Falling to number 12 is Don't Forget About Us by Mariah Carey Tumbling to number 13 is Kryptonite (I'm On It) by the Purple Ribbon All Stars.

Falling to number 14 is I Think They Like Me by Dem Franchize Boyz featuring Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow.

Last week's essential new joint, Sorry, the new hit from Pop Queen Madonna, moves up to number 15. This one is kicking in the UK, US, Ibiza and just about everywhere else.

Improving to number 16 is Busta Rhymes' new hit - Touch It. Up to number 17 is I'll Be Your Light, by Kristine W.

Up to number 18 is Rosabel's hot new hit, Rhythm Intoxication, which kicks. Up to number 19 is I'm N luv (Wit a Stripper) by T-Pain featuring Mike Jones. And rounding things out at number 20 is the new one from Keyshia Cole, entitled Love.

Now back to this week's word - the MPs pay hike and the Belco Debacle.

I heard Works Minister Lt. Col. David Burch attempt to justify the Parliamentary pay hike by stating that MPs are now essentially working full time.

However, few other employees get an increases in pay of up to 80 percent.

I'm not against giving them a pay raise but it shouldn't be such a high amount. However, this is exactly what happens when you vote on your own pay hike. Common sense goes out the window.

It's like they are running a company, they are the Board of Directors and they've decided that they'd like to increase their remuneration; and they passed a resolution to which the other shareholders (the Bermudian people) cannot object.

I'm not going to argue about whether they should be full-time or part-time. I think each case is different; some Ministers are closer to full-time than others. Each case, or each Ministry, should be treated based on its individual merits.

I'm made to understand that the Premier is pretty much full time, so perhaps he deserves a raise. But surely not an 80 percent increase. That's just wrong, dead wrong. Maybe a gradual increase would be more appropriate - like 10 percent this year, 10 percent next year, the way most employees have to do it.

The other option would be for some MPs to get themselves new jobs. In the real world, you take a job and the pay is X dollars. You might get a pay increase and even a bonus if you're doing a really great job. If you don't like the pay, you ask for a pay raise and if the answer is no, you take it or leave it. MPs should be no different.

If our MPs don't like the pay of their jobs, they should just go get another job. That's what the rest of us have to do! Perhaps they should have to answer to somebody like the people of Bermuda, who should vote on whether they deserve a raise?

I like the Premier, he is a nice guy and he is really trying his best, but the jury is out as to whether or not he is doing a great job. In the real world, you'd have to be doing a great job to get a pay raise and I'm not convinced that on that basis a pay raise is warranted in the case of most MPs.

I hate to call names, but let's just say that some of them are earning their pay and being effective while the performance of others definitely leaves much to be desired.

Now the Belco mess. Who was doing the thinking over there? Your man Gary Madeiros must be getting some really bad advice. He might want to question the senior management he surrounds himself with! Wherever this decision came from, it was basically an abortion. This whole debacle should be required reading in business schools, MBA programmes, all Management courses, for how NOT to treat staff and how NOT to manage change.

If this really is an outsourcing deal, they could have done this better using several available options. They could have given these guys a few months notice, a nice sendoff, etc, but no, they tell the guys mid- morning,"By the way, you're fired. Pack up your stuff and leave now!" That's pretty bad, unless these guys did something terrible that the media doesn't know about or about which we've not been told. I'm all for outsourcing; many businesses do it today to allow them to focus on their core competencies. However, I've seen examples where outsourcing was not a good idea, didn't save enough money to justify such huge changes. Only time will tell whether this was a good decision.

So far, it looks bad, since they had to hire back the people they fired. I can't think of another example where a company made a decision that so unnecessarily ignited a public relations nightmare on this scale.

This fiasco will, if anything, provide laughs in boardrooms, offices and classrooms where people discuss management styles

Well, I guess some lessons have been learned but unfortunately, they've been learned the hard way.

Peace be with you ...