A former CableVision worker claims the company owes him several thousand dollars after terminating his contract.

Melvin Turner moved from Atlanta, Georgia in August, 2001 but was forced into a pay cut when another employee took over his job.

His pay changed from an hourly rate to a piece rate, but when his contract ended the company, with no reason given, it paid him off two weeks money based on the hourly rate.

The intervention of a labour relations officer and the Bermuda Industrial Union increased that package to four week's pay but Mr. Turner, a cable splicer, said the money should have been taken from an average of 12 week's earnings under the Employment Act 2000.

He said the BIU helped him in his case but the labour relations department had not allowed him to put his case to a tribunal.

Mr. Turner said he had been jobless since April and only got permission to seek alternative employment recently - something which came too late to allow him to follow through with two good prospects of finding a job here.

He told The Royal Gazette: “Now its Christmas time and I am out of money. I am just trying to wipe up my affairs and go home.

“The labour department has not enforced the law.”

He said CableVision were refusing to fund his return home which broke immigration laws and expected him to pay for the trip out of the pay-off.

“I have voided the cheques. It wasn't the right settlement. I wasn't willing to accept.”

A CableVision spokeswoman said the complaint was being handled by a labour relations officer and the company could not comment.

The acting director of the labour relations department could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Turner, 38, said: “If the law doesn't work for me there has to be two systems in place. One for locals and one for foreigners; the one for foreigners doesn't work.”