Government workers ratified a new inflation-busting pay deal yesterday.

The three-year contract, backdated to January, gives them 4.5 percent in the first year and 4.25 percent in the second year, with the third year's pay still to be decided.

It affects around 1,000 industrial staff including bus, ferry and Works and Engineering workers.

They had previously rejected an offer of four percent.

Passengers were left stranded yesterday when bus and ferry operators stopped service yesterday morning to attend the meeting at the Bermuda Industrial Union headquarters.

One Southampton passenger fumed: "I went down to get a bus just after 11 a.m. and waited 40 minutes without any joy. Usually they come every 15 minutes.

"I had to get my wife to pick me up in the end. Why can't they publicise it when this is going to happen?"

Asked if the public should have been warned Public Transport director Dan Simmons said he was not working the day before the stoppage but there "probably should have been a news release" to publicise the stoppage.

He said service stopped yesterday for up to two hours.

The settlement does not resolve the row over a new bus schedule which nearly saw drivers strike at the beginning of the year when PTB wanted them to run more evening buses.

The new schedule was withdrawn pending arbitration which is set to start on April 19.