A trouble-shooter rode into meetings with BTC and unions yesterday on orders directly from Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox to fix the stand-off.

And Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb last night was determined to stay impartial in order to hear any eventual appeal against the Telecommunications Commission decision.

"The ball is in BTC's court and all I can say is that I have to just wait out the 21 days they have to get back to me,'' she said.

But a BTC spokeswoman said the nine-day working fortnight plan that had been implemented was the agreement reached with unions on January 14, and it was not yet known if an appeal would be made.

"The company is still assessing the impact of the decision and determining its options,'' she said.

And she revealed BTC management had met with trouble-shooter, Labour Relations Officer Neville Darrell, who she insisted was on a "fact-finding'' mission only.

Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess said he met with Mr.

Darrell twice yesterday to sort out the "stalemate'' -- but he hesitated to say how much progress had been made.

"He's trying to get the parties together and we're ready, willing and able to do that from our side.'' Mr. Burgess said BTC unionised workers who had been ordered to stay at home yesterday in compulsory lay-offs announced last week, instead turned up.

But the workers were told they could work if they wanted but under no circumstances would their pay-cheque remain the same as in previous weeks.

Last Thursday all 480 staff were informed of the compulsory lay-offs, with workers ordered to work only nine days of the usual ten in every fortnight.

That way the company could survive the "current crisis'' since it would shave 10 percent off its weekly payroll bill, BTC said in letters to staff.

The move to reduce staffing hours came a day after the Telecommunications Commission ruled BTC could hike its monthly local line rental fees by only limited amounts -- $2 for homes and $10 for businesses.

The Commission also ordered BTC to keep current staffing levels unless it first proved to the body that any cuts would not impair the telephone company's ability to maintain current or improved service levels.

BTC had initially proposed drastic hikes to the line rental fees -- from $16 to $34 for homes and $22 to $37 for businesses -- to offset a Government directive for them to cut the fees charged to international carriers.

LRO trying to mediate The company has maintained that move -- which brought BTC into line with US telephone companies -- cost them $33,000 a day and $1 million a month.

Mr. Burgess said last night that the Labour Relations Officer was "trying to mediate, to get BTC to honour the ruling and get this thing over with''.

He said since his workers were abiding by the Commission's ruling, he was confident they would be paid for turning up on enforced days-off.

And he repeated his claim that the unions had only ever showed tentative enthusiasm for the enforced nine-day working fortnights and their support had always depended on the Commission's decision.

UNIONS UNS