and insurance contributions which went missing in the run-up to its demise in October, 1997.

Former Co-op president Victor Fishington said: "They will be getting it back.

We are in the process of working out something with the creditors.

"We are making arrangements to pay them but I can't say if they will get back everything that is owed.

"Our lawyers have been in touch with creditors.'' However Mr. Fishington was unable to give any indication of when the creditors would get their money and he appealed for them to be patient. And two former shop workers The Royal Gazette spoke to said they had yet to get official word about getting their cash.

Lafay Bolin lost $390.39 which was taken from her weekly cheque for medical insurance money and $435 in pension contributions.

And she was sceptical about the announcement that workers would get the cash which came just after The Royal Gazette began investigating the matter.

She said: "Why has this announcement happened now after all these months? We should get it all -- even it was just two dollars it is still our money.'' "Why did no one find out it wasn't being paid? The Co-op was run by the Bermuda Workers Cooperative Society but was given substantial financial backing by the BIU which represented most of the store's 25 or so workers.

The store collapsed in October 1997 with debts of $1.4 million. Former staff said that the company had started keeping pension and medical insurance contributions to pay for mounting debts.

Mrs. Bolin said: "I worked for the Co-op when they closed it. The pension money was supposed to go to the BIU to pay to the pension company but they said they never got it.

"But the BIU is a stone's throw away -- why did nobody question why no money came over?'' She added: "Nobody fought for our money right up until today -- they never explained it to us. I called (BIU General Secretary) Molly Burgess and she said she would look into it.

"But nobody has heard anything until now -- they swept it under the carpet and nailed it down.'' Ms. Bolin also says medical insurance money taken from their cheques had gone missing.

She said: "We had two pregnant girls working there when it was closed down.

They probably ended up paying the insurance money themselves.'' Former colleague Tammy Hendrickson worked there for three years until the Co-op's demise. She said: "I went on maternity leave but I had to pay half my insurance. It was a big setback and I had to borrow money off my family.

"There were two or three meetings about the situation but we went around in circles and nothing was solved.'' However she said she was very pleased with the latest development but she said she had yet to get official confirmation of the position.

She said: "I'm very happy but I only found out about this about a week ago when I bumped into someone in the street who I used to work with.''