The Bermuda Industrial Union has called for some dock work to be moved to Number One Shed after hitting out at alarming safety levels in cramped conditions.

The union says conditions at the overloaded docks are putting workers in danger and it is frustrated the Corporation of Hamilton has been slow to arrange a meeting. BIU president Derrick Burgess said: ?Right now the situation on the docks is critical.

?We are really, really concerned about the safety of the workers,? said Mr. Burgess who recently toured the site.

He said new buildings and equipment plus an increased workload had cut down on space and it was time to implement plans put forward by various reports to remove shed seven and eight where shared container loads are broken up.

Stressing that Stevedoring Services, who operate the docks, were only the tenants he said it was time landlords the Corporation of Hamilton took action.

He said: ?By removing seven and eight sheds there will be room for 800 to 1,000 containers, that would help the situation.?

The Corporation have pledged to remove Number Eight Shed by December 31 but Mr. Burgess said action was needed sooner.

He said: ?I wonder if the Corporation is really concerned about moving it, if they do that they will lose some revenue.

?There is a close call everyday. It?s tight down there with trucks, top loaders and cranes all working in the same area. We need to not worry about the dollars ? safety comes first.?

He said the union had been pressing for a meeting with the Corporation since the beginning of the week and had now been told the meeting will have to be held on Monday.

?How concerned are they??

?Moving some of the operations to Number One Shed would help alleviate immediate problems right now.?

Corporation of Hamilton Mayor Lawson Mapp said the meeting with the BIU would go ahead and said safety concerns had sparked the new 750 container limit recently implemented.

He said arriving ships would be made to wait if they came in when the docks were over this limit.

But he stressed problem wasn?t just the stripping sheds, after pointing out that tenants, which includes Customs, needed adequate notice to move.

He cited the inability of Stevedoring Services to move containers quicker.

?It?s ridiculous. If you go down there as an independent trucker it takes you two hours to get your container. That is not good enough.?

He said once the containers were on the dock the company had made their money. Empty containers were not being moved said Mr. Mapp who said there had been 300 empties piled up at the weekend.

Mr. Burgess said the union has worked closely with Stevedoring Services and was moving to flexi-time to help ease the overloaded dock.

Stevedoring Services boss Henry Hayward praised his 60 workers for their effort in trying circumstances.

?They are working under conditions which are stressful and doing a first class job.?