Government?s claim that labour relations are better now than they have been in a long time is suspect, according to Shadow Labour Minister Maxwell Burgess.

And he called for Government to clear the air over where the Island is headed with globalisation and international workers in an effort to assure Bermudians that a changing economy does not necessarily mean a loss of jobs.

Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Randy Horton said there were four strikes in 2003 ? BAS Serco, the Prison officers, CableVision and the general strike in the aftermath of Hurricane Fabian due to the CableVision strike.

There had been a greater number of work stoppages from 1999-2003 ?because (workers) were feeling more free to express their mind with a Labour Government than the previous Government,? he said.

However, he added, shared values between Government and workers does not mean ?a Labour Government will capitulate to every demand.?

Government must listen to all players while promoting a national economy, he said.

?On the surface I would concur (there were more stoppages),? Mr. Burgess replied.

However, he added, the reason for that is: ?In truth and reality we shouldn?t have had 90 percent of the stoppages in the first place.?

Money is being wasted on arbitrators who are only repeating to Government what the labour force said in the first place, he said. ?We are paying somebody to tell us labour is right.?

A responsible Government would try to find out if Bermuda salaries are reflective of the 21st century. ?If not, fix it.?

Mr. Burgess also called for ?three strikes and you?re out? on employers who contravene sections of the Employment Act 2000.

Employers contravene sections of the Act repeatedly without consequence, he said, and the Bermudian taxpayer has to pay for the matters to be dealt with.

For that reason, after an employer is found in the wrong three times, Government should begin charging them for the time spent dealing with problems.

Small businesses may have difficulty in complying with the Employment Act, he said, not having the resources in place to do so. Government should therefore examine ways to make it possible for small companies who wish to comply with the Act to do so.

Mr. Burgess also said Government will have to make every effort to proactively keep Bermudians abreast of where Bermuda is going as the economy changes.

?The country will require a number of non-Bermudian workers to get where we want to go,? he said.

?We should be clear about where we are going to the people, so they know where to protect their jobs also.?

Making Bermudians feel more secure will go a long way to improving the relationship between Bermudians and guest workers. Clarifying Bermuda?s position to international companies will also be beneficial, he said. ?Non-Bermudians... don?t have the same social conscience. Quite frankly, global giants don?t become global giants by being overly sensitive to anyone anywhere... We are going to have more arbitration if we don?t bring the people along with us.?

Bermudians have to understand the job they have today may change six months from now, and be ready to retrain and adjust instead of feeling threatened about losing jobs. ?If we are proactive in telling them, they will understand.?

Commenting approvingly several times throughout his counterpart?s speech, Mr. Horton said Mr. Burgess?s comments were ?very constructive?, and many would be taken under full advisement.

Regarding small businesses and compliance with the Employment Act, he said Government was actively seeking input from small businesses, including placing a small business representative on the Labour Advisory Council.

Government is also keeping tabs on employers who are not ?good corporate citizens,? he said.

?We will continue to make it clear that we expect nothing less (than compliance).?