A ban on overtime at Hamilton docks could end next week when unionised workers vote on whether to continue the action.

However, the leader of the Bermuda Industrial Union became involved in a war of words this week with dock operator Stevedoring Services Ltd over why a vote was not taken earlier.

The ban was introduced in June and stems from a long-running dispute over the dismissal of Chris Furbert Jr, the son of BIU president Chris Furbert, from SSL in 2020.

The ban led to problems with the offloading of cargo, creating backlogs of empty shipping containers clogging up the docks.

Mr Furbert said earlier that the stoppage was expected to run for six months, but would be reviewed monthly.

Yesterday, he confirmed that a vote on whether to lift the ban will take place next Wednesday — exactly two months after the action began.

In a statement, Mr Furbert said: “A press conference will be held on August 13, where we will publicly outline our full position on the matter — including the employer’s noncompliance with reinstatement rights as outlined in our collective bargaining agreement.

“This is a matter of principle, fairness and adherence to the rule of law.

“Following the press conference, the BIU will convene a divisional meeting at which the members of the port workers division will vote on whether to extend or lift the overtime ban.

“We call on the public, the media and stakeholders to be vigilant and informed.

“The integrity of collective bargaining must be protected, not undermined by disingenuous public relations tactics.

“We urge SSL to respect the terms of our collective bargaining agreement and to begin acting in genuine good faith towards a resolution."

Randy Rochester, the chief executive of SSL’s holding company, Polaris, said management had first encouraged workers to take a vote on lifting the ban last month, and made a similar request this week “in the national interest“.

However, Mr Furbert hit back, alleging that management had refused to allow staff to hold meetings during working hours.

He said: “SSL’s statement that they ‘supported a request for the port workers/BIU to hold a meeting on the docks in July is misleading and doesn’t reflect the true nature of the circumstances.

“While the company may claim to support the democratic processes of our membership, the reality is that they have refused to grant time for meetings during working hours until the overtime ban has been lifted.

“As a result, the union has been forced to hold crucial meetings during members’ lunch breaks or after working hours.

“Furthermore, SSL’s assertion that the union delayed a vote on the overtime ban ignores the actual sequence of events.”

Mr Rochester said yesterday: “The fact remains that the reason SSL could not support further meetings during working hours is because of the overtime ban.

“It was our view that the general public were already being negatively impacted by the overtime ban.”

He pointed out that the overtime ban had already limited operational hours at the docks, and that meetings held during the working day would reduce those hours even further.

“The knock-on effect being a pile-up of containers on the docks with customers not being able to receive their goods in a timely manner,” Mr Rochester added.

“SSL has and always will work with the BIU, as we generally get along very well.

“In the interest of good industrial relations, we have never refused a request of the BIU to release employees for meetings, training, seminars, etc.

“The BIU is more than welcome to hold a meeting after working hours, as our priority is to ensure goods are released from the docks to service the needs of the country.”