people'' by deciding not to go to an international labour conference in Switzerland.

Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess hit back after it was claimed he snubbed this month's annual International Labour Organisation meeting in Geneva.

Union chiefs claimed Mr. Burgess "put a block'' on a Bermuda delegation because his absence would have left the ruling United Bermuda Party with no working majority.

But Mr. Burgess said: "Nothing could be further from the truth.'' And he claimed BIU leader Derrick Burgess -- who criticised his decision not to attend the Geneva meeting -- had already told the Minister he would not be going, and planned to send BIU number two Chris Furbert instead.

And Bermuda Employers' Council chief Malcolm Dixon also signalled he would not be going and planned to send a junior official to represent his organisation.

Mr. Burgess added: "More importantly, I was mindful of the critical stage we had reached in discussions between the Bermuda Industrial Union and the Hotel Employers of Bermuda over a new collective agreement.'' He said an agreement through negotiation had eventually been signed -- for the first time in nearly two decades.

Mr. Burgess said: "I was particularly concerned about workers who rely on gratuities for a significant proportion of their incomes.

"The reality is that each new day that passes without a collective agreement represents a loss of money for these workers and their families forever.

"It was thus the interests of those individuals and their families that was paramount in my mind when making my decision.'' And he insisted: "I must say that if I'm guilty of anything, it is that I am guilty of putting Bermudians and their families first.

"And I wish to say...that I plead guilty to that charge and pledge that I will remain so as long as I remain Minister.'' Mr. Burgess -- only brought up from the backbenches recently in Premier Pamela Gordon's reshuffle -- added that "delicate'' negotiations were also going on between the BIU and Government over a new deal for Government blue-collar workers -- negotiations which ended in an agreement for the first time in 15 years.

And he said: "This is a large Ministry with diverse responsibilities and the business of becoming familiar with its activities and personalities is time-consuming.

"It remains my considered view that it was more important for me to become quickly familiar with my responsibilities than it was for me to lead the delegation to Geneva.'' Maxwell Burgess GOVERNMENT GVT