Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess defended Southampton Beach Resort management, over labour activists Raymond Russell's allegations, saying Wyndham Bermuda Resort management had made it clear that they did not want to make any employees redundant.

"The Act is quite clear. If an act of God closes the hotel and the hotel was never to reopen then everyone would be entitled to redundancy pay. But the hotel has reopened," Mr. Burgess said. "What do you tell an employer ? his business has been struck by a hurricane and has to close for six months and spend millions of dollars to fix it up and because of this he has to pay?

"That doesn't make sense. That employer has made it quite clear from the start that he wants all his employees back. And trade union movements throughout the world are concerned about jobs for the future, not redundancies. Redundancies are there if there is no other choice. If a job comes to an end, that's where redundancy kicks in."

He said the union, its chief shop steward at the hotel, and management had been working together "right from the start".

"And I must say, my chief shop steward is doing an excellent job. The management has kept us up to date," Mr. Burgess continued.

"Like any organisation you will have problems and we continue to deal with them. I'm not going to say everything's perfect - nothing's perfect but I am not going to discuss any disagreements with the press. If we have disagreements I discuss it with management and my chief shop steward, not the press."

And he criticised the media for not challenging Mr. Russell when he criticises the union.

"This union, the BIU, even before I got there saved Raymond Russell's life. Over the years on numerous times we have saved his job. Despite his negative commentary about the BIU, if we had to do it again we would do it again for him," Mr. Burgess said.