Bermuda Industrial Union boss Derrick Burgess has blasted Works and Engineering management for contracting out work while its own staff are left idle.

The union will meet with management on Wednesday to thrash out the issue after workers got fed up sitting around with nothing to do.

Mr. Burgess said: ?It?s crazy, subcontractors are working but our people don?t have any work to do.

?We are paying them. It?s a waste of taxpayers money ? it?s mismanagement. I have no idea why they do it. To me they shouldn?t contract out work when they have workers who can do it.?

One Works and Engineering worker contacted and said: ?There?s no work at all for the working staff.

?Everyone is standing around doing nothing, we are on the porch hoping some work comes along.?

He said the workforce, who include electricians, carpenters, plumber and labourers, numbered around 25.

The final insult came when an extension to a storage building at the worker?s Prospect base was done by outside contractors while underemployed Works and Engineering men stood and watched.

The worker said about 85 percent of the work seemed to be contracted out and the last time the men had more than odd jobs to do was about six months ago.

?Summer time we normally get a school to renovate but this summer nobody got any work.

?I was doing a school and got taken off for a contractor to finish it off and nobody said anything about it.?

He said workers were missing out on overtime but the main gripe was the boredom of filling in their days.

?People are annoyed they have nothing to do. We are showing up but getting nothing. The day is very long when you are sitting around.

?It?s been going on for the last couple of years and no-one has really stood up and done anything about it but we are tired of watching contractors get work.

?We have a meeting next week. We had asked management if we could have a meeting to find out what?s going on but management told us they will have a meeting when they are good and ready. They obviously don?t want a meeting.?

However the union will now meet with management on Wednesday.

Calls to the Works and Engineering Ministry were not returned yesterday.