Hundreds of Government workers downed their tools to attend a four-hour union meeting yesterday.

The meeting was called after the Ministry of Works and Engineering allegedly walked out of negotiations with the Bermuda Industrial Union over staffing issues for the new recycling plant.

Bus drivers, postal workers, works and engineering staff, park employees, garbage truck drivers, vector control staff and ferry workers filed into the Union Street building at 10 a.m yesterday.

After the initial meeting more than 400 workers marched through the streets of Hamilton and stopped outside the Department of Works and Engineering.

They hoped to speak to the Minister, Dennis Lister, but he was not available. Instead Permanent Secretary for Works and Engineering Dr. Derrick Binns came out and listened to the union’s grievances. Soon afterwards the workers marched back to the union’s headquarters for another meeting before returning to work at 2 p.m.

Late yesterday afternoon BIU president Chris Furbert sat down with The Royal Gazette and explained that yesterday’s showing of solidarity by unionised Government workers illustrated just how disturbed they were by the Ministry’s actions.

He alleged the Ministry of Works and Engineering walked out of negotiations on Thursday after they reached an impasse and then refused to return to the table.

Instead they met with employees of the current recycling plant, Mr. Furbert alleged, and told them they had until 3 p.m. yesterday to decide if they wanted a job in the new plant or not.

Mr. Furbert said: “Last night we had a meeting for the heads of the Government divisions and discussed the issues. We decided we needed to meet with all the workers today.

“The workers are angry and feel the Government’s behaviour was disrespectful.”

Mr. Furbert said the union was particularly upset over the Government’s actions because they have been in talks over these issues since February and had a mediation agreement in place to ensure things went smoothly.

The two sticking points in the negotiations revolved around staffing at the new $8.35 million plant at Bailey’s Bay Quarry.

Currently 14 people are employed at the Devon Springs facility. The new plant, which is automated, will only require four workers, Government said.

But Devon Springs workers and union officials believe five people are needed to cope with the workload.

The union and management also disagree about who should go to the new plant. Government has already promised to find jobs elsewhere in the Ministry for everyone employed at the Devon Springs facility.

Mr. Furbert said: “It is unfortunate that it had to come to this and I apologise to the public for any inconvenience caused by the meeting.

“But it was disrespectful for the Government to walk away from the negotiation table and not follow what was laid out in our mediation agreement.

“It is important that people do not take these workers for granted.”

Yesterday Dr. Binns said he could not comment on the matter.

He said: “This matter has been referred by the Minister of Labour and Immigration to the Permanent Arbitration Panel, which will make a binding decision.

“As such, it is best that we reserve all comment until the Panel meets.”

Other than bus drivers, who held another meeting right after the general meeting, Government workers were back on their job sites by 2 p.m.

Hundreds of Govt. workers down tools