Angry overseas tourism staff fear Premier Ewart Brown is trying to delay a new pay deal until after the election.

It comes after up to 30 staff based in New York, Atlanta, Florida, Toronto and London won the right to union recognition with the Bermuda Public Services Union earlier this year.

Pay talks began in May and concluded last month with a draft agreement which staff hoped would get signed.

But sources say the contract has now been referred to the Attorney General's chambers.

A source close to the New York office said: "It is not normal, it has never been done before.

"We think this is a deliberate attempt to delay the process until after the election.

"We had been discussing a date to sign the contract and then were told we would not be able to sign it because the Premier said he had no knowledge the recognition ballot had been taken and negotiations were going on but we have had no official communication whatsoever.

"How can he not know? He's the tourism minister?

"We are livid. We believe it is an attempt to stall by the Premier. In September he told us he was going to privatise the overseas office."

Yesterday BPSU general secretary Ed Ball said: "Both parties have been bargaining in good faith — they are now surprised and are eagerly awaiting what the next moves are.

"We are just as perplexed as the employers are. It's a normal process, there are competent civil servants party to the whole recognition process.

"There is nothing alarming about the contract whatsoever. If both parties are agreed it must be deemed to not be alarming."

Asked about why the Premier had intervened his spokesman said:

"The Premier has been advised by the Attorney General that any agreement of this nature, which commits the government, should be vetted by his chambers.

"The Premier expects that upon completion of the review the AG will render his opinion."

Asked for a timeline the spokesman said: "Not long."

Mr. Ball said he thought management and union had got beyond the point where it needed to be referred to the AG's chambers as both management and unions had agreed terms and had been poised to sign the deal.