A row between the Bermuda Industrial Union and the Government was moving towards resolution last night, although disruption to key services is likely today due to a union meeting on the issue.

The BIU ? which has workers on the buses and ferries, with Works and Engineering, at the Bermuda Telephone Company and at the hospital ? announced the crisis meeting yesterday.

However, after talks last night, both the Government and the BIU announced that progress had been made.

News of the problem first emerged through a Press release early yesterday evening in which the BIU said the general membership meeting was necessary to deal with ?several unresolved issues? with the Ministry of Labour and the ?seeming indifference? of the Labour Department concerning these matters.

It apologised to the public for the inconvenience that the meeting, which will begin at 10 a.m today, will cause. However, it said there are over 20 unresolved issues remaining with the Ministry of Labour and the Labour Relations Office, some dating back to 2002.

Among the issues, said the statement, are grievances against the now defunct Trimingham Brothers department store. Another is the failure of the Corporation of Hamilton to recognise the BIU as the sole bargaining agent for its industrial workers.

Accusing the Labour Relations Department and the Labour Ministry of being ?remiss in their duty to the workers of Bermuda with respect to the observance of Bermuda?s laws,? the BIU said it had followed the law to the letter in seeking resolution to the grievances.

Speaking after an hour-long meeting with Minister of Labour Randolph Horton and Permanent Secretary Robert Horton last night, BIU President Derrick Burgess said: ?I consider that some progress has been made that will be finalised tomorrow morning.

?Hopefully it?s looking positive at this point.?

He said that the meeting would still go ahead as the union?s General Council had decided to take the matter to the General Membership for discussion and that this could last for up to two hours.

Mr. Burgess, who is also the PLP member for Hamilton East, refused to comment on the detail of his discussion with the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, saying matters had reached ?a delicate stage?.

He also refused to be drawn on the topic of possible industrial action if the negotiations do not reach a successful outcome this morning. Robert Horton said last night that the first the Minister had heard of the planned union meeting was after the conclusion of the House sitting yesterday.

He said that Mr. Burgess had forwarded concerns to himself and the Minister at the end of last week when he and the Minister were both off the Island and that the Minister was then unable to address them on Friday due to business in the House.

?Today when we had knowledge of the meeting we immediately made arrangements to speak with Mr. Burgess to discuss his concerns and arranged with him to meet with Milton Scott, the Director of Labour and Training, at 8 a.m tomorrow ahead of the BIU meeting,? he said. Describing the meeting last night as ?a productive exchange,? he explained that the BIU had concerns about issues going back to 1999 that he characterised as disagreements with the Department of Labour?s handling of these matters.

?It was agreed that this situation is most unsatisfactory and the Minister has agreed to meet with Mr. Burgess on a monthly basis to discuss the status of matters which the BIU has brought to the Department of Labour,? he added.

?I?m hopeful that all outstanding issues will be resolved to the satisfaction of the BIU and the Department. I regret the apparent communication challenges that have occurred.?