A union leader last night said he was upset disgruntled immigration officers at Bermuda International Airport had gone to the media over plans to overhaul their jobs.

Ed Ball, General Secretary of the Bermuda Public Services Association (BPSA), which represents the officers, said the outspoken officer had jumped the gun as talks were continuing and nothing had yet been decided.

He spoke out after an anonymous letter was sent to the Press claiming the officers were dissatisfied with proposals to make the service more efficient by combining the roles of immigration and customs officers.

It said they were unhappy with the approach being taken by Government and the BPSA.

The review was carried out by Government in a bid to reduce costs and in response to complaints by travellers that they were being asked the same questions twice at the airport.

The anonymous letter claimed the officers saw the review for the first time on Friday when somebody from Government's Management Services gave an hour-long presentation.

However, the officer said he and colleagues feared Cabinet would make the final decision without considering their views properly, and would not consider offering redundancy if staff wished to leave.

It has been proposed that five immigration officers have the chance to be promoted to senior immigration officers/inspectors and will come under the Ministry for Labour and Home Affairs.

The anonymous writer said the remaining officers would become customs officers and be required to perform the duties of a customs officer, which will include the immigration functions. Those officers, it is proposed, will come under the Ministry of Finance.

The letter said the senior immigration officers would still be responsible for their duties assisting with referrals, however, their duties had not been clearly defined.

The officer said: "When it was asked what other alternatives were available to the officers affected, Lynn Osbourn from Personnel stated that they would be considered on a case by case basis and they would try to find them employment somewhere else in Government.

"There was never any mention of a redundancy package, even though the duties and job description they presently hold will be taken from them.'' But last night, Mr. Ball said he had no idea who had written the letter.

He said a joint consultative committee had been formed with both immigration and customs officers from all shifts to enable them to debate the issue and come up with suggestions and alternatives.

News leak jumped the gun' -- Ball He said: "I think somebody individually has decided they wanted to get the story out and this is how the letter came about.

"They don't seem happy with everything, but they don't seem disappointed with the union.'' But he said he wanted to stress that at this stage it was only a study and nothing had been decided.

He added: "Government has come up with the idea of doing a study, it has done that study and now they are sharing with the union the results.

"There is nothing that the union has agreed to.'' And he said he would continue talks with Government to ensure the officers' concerns were heard and their rights were protected.

A Government spokesman said it, too, was disappointed the officers had gone to the media when dialogue was continuing.

And he said both customs and immigration officers were aware that their roles were being examined with a view to improving the service to travellers.

But he said every consideration and assistance was being given to the officers, whether they wanted to transfer to customs, take on another Government role, or retire. "The Government has made it clear that it is not about business as usual.

"Their focus is on efficiency and effectiveness for the general public provided by a well-trained, effective and flexible Civil Service.

"The public will be aware that other airports in other jurisdictions already combine this function.'' The spokesman said the primary role of both agencies was that of enforcement, and he said customs officers have been carrying out primary immigration functions for some time at the Yacht Reporting Centre, on cruise ships and for private and charter aircraft.

He added: "This initiative, therefore, is not new, but rather an expansion of this service delivery.

"In addition, customs staff have been encouraging the combining of these roles at the airport. Likewise, immigration staff....have complained about lack of variety in their duties, repetition, very limited opportunities for career enhancement and progression, as well as lack of training.

"With this background, it is clear this transfer of positions and service delivery from the Department of Immigration to the Department of Customs makes good business sense.'' CUSTOMS CUS UNIONS UNS