Premier Ewart Brown has hinted restrictions may be placed on teachers and transport workers who want to strike as he again voiced frustration about action which hurts the public

.In his leader's address at the opening of the Progressive Labour Party conference last night Dr. Brown urged unions to exhaust the talking before they started walking.

Asked about any possible law changes he told The Royal Gazette:"We will keep talking.

"The only legislation that would be contemplated that we haven't formally discussed, but I would be personally think we should take a look at again, are essential services with a view to possibly expanding those.

"Asked which professions could be added to that list of services, which have to give 21-day's notice of a strike, the Premier said:"Transportation and education

"We are constantly working on our relationship with labour. A few things have changed slowly, it is not rapid change.

"I still have my monthly meetings with the unions. Iam trying to thaw out the relationship, the relationship with most of our unions was unsatisfactory – just the history of persistent tension and disagreement."

In his delegates speech he said times had changed and unions did not have to use the same manner of protest with a PLP government that were used 30 years ago under a United Bermuda Party government.

"It used to be that the only absolute way to get a Minister or Premier's personal attention was to cause inconvenience to your cousin or your sister or that valuable tourist by disrupting bus, taxi or school service.

"You could not sit at the same table with Government. You had no ear and you had no voice, so you had to lay down tools."

Stressing the need for dialogue he said: "Teachers, before you decide not to come to school and leave parents and school children to fend for themselves on a given morning, please let us talk. "Government civil servants, before you leave your work stations, know that with a PLP government, you are more than your job or your profession, you are a neighbour, you are a relative, you are a friend - let us talk.

"We can stay at our work stations and move this country forward because you have access to your PLP government.

"We can imagine a time when we know that every effort to reach agreement has been exhausted and that strike is a last resort – not a first recourse. "We can imagine a time when Bermuda joins other unions and organisations around the world and practices representative democracy, such that we no longer have to grind to a halt in the middle of the work day and affect every element of our economy because we want to have a general membership meeting. That time is overdue."

Dr. Brown said the controversial decision to lay off staff at the New York Tourism office had been a difficult but necessary step to keep Bermuda competitive.

"We could not, and we can not, guarantee any government employee a lifetime job in New York City. "We cannot guarantee the job you want here in Bermuda, where we have displaced workers from the Wyndham Hotel or St. George's Golf Course.

"There are times when we must simply put Bermuda first, and that is what this PLP government did."

The delegate conference began amid speculation about a possible leadership challenge and criticism of Dr. Brown's style of leadership.

Elected on a four-year term which expires in 2010, Dr. Brown plans to serve the full-term despite the flak.

Asked if he would change his leadership style he told this newspaper:"Iam basically happy, but I am not a perfect animal."

Asked if there was anything particular that he would do differently. "I will keep pressing the point that I am available for people to come and chat with me, but otherwise no."

In his speech Dr.Brown urged loyalty from PLPcolleagues. He said:"In 2006, we had a leadership change. I was bestowed the honour of becoming your Party Leader.

"With all due respect to the former Party Leader, who stepped up to serve our Party and our country when we needed unity, healing and direction – that election is over. It is finished. Let us move forward to work together on behalf of the Party and the people of Bermuda.

"With all due respect to former Cabinet Ministers, Bermuda is better off today because of your great service.

"We are eternally grateful. But, serving as a Cabinet Minister – or serving as a Premier or any other government worker – is a privilege, not a right.

"It is time to move from what might have been to what is. It is time to move forward to work together on behalf of the Party and the people of Bermuda."

Hammering home the message of unity he urged the party to go back to the days when it was viewed as a family.

"But, as a family and a unified Party, we should never allow ourselves to be used against each other like the crabs in a barrel that our enemies want to see.

"It is time for us to lay down both our swords and our daggers.

"As many of you know, I can personally fight among the best, but it is time to spend more time healing and congealing than bickering and plotting.

"It is time to stop allowing negative, external forces to come between us to exploit our healthy differences for unhealthy purposes."

Dr. Brown said his Government was empowering a new generation of people who had never before been given the opportunity to participate in the wealth of this economy.

At which point a group of entrepreneurs were revealed standing on stage.

After they had gone Dr Brown said:"That should put an end to the story that the only people who get Government contracts under this Government are my white friends."