A ?tentative agreement? was announced via press release yesterday in the controversial contract negotiations between the West End Development Corporation (WEDCO) and tenants, the Bermuda Cement Corporation (BCC).

?WEDCO and BCC met this morning as scheduled to discuss the terms of the new lease. The parties have reached a tentative agreement with specific details still to be worked out. The meetings were conducted in an atmosphere of fair negotiation,? the joint press release said. ?Once the terms of the agreement have been finalised, it will be reported to the public.?

Workers at the Ireland Island North plant stopped the flow of cement for four days, claiming BCC management could not be assured their jobs were safe.

But BCC management ? including General Manager Jim Butterfield ? said it was the silence from WEDCO which caused BCC management to not satisfy their workers? concerns, saying a request for proposal BCC sent to WEDCO to renew the lease for the Dockyard land upon which their cement plant is built.

BCC did not hear about the lease proposal for a week and tools were shortly after dropped by BCC plant workers.

Shortly after the strike was announced, WEDCO Chairman, Lt. Col. David Burch called a press conference where he said ?BCC?s (request for proposal) was clearly the best, however, their bid did not include an opportunity to broaden the base as the board had stipulated?.

But since Mr. Butterfield had announced in the previous day that BCC was willing to put its shares on the Bermuda stock exchange, Lt. Col. Burch said he ?called a special meeting of the Cement Sub Committee to review this new development?.

Mr. Butterfield said he could not add to the joint press release, other than to say: ?We had a productive meeting. All of the parties are satisfied with where we are at this time.?