Government has begun legal action against striking teachers who are now breaking the law, Labour Minister Terry Lister warned last night.

He said he was shocked teachers were still on strike after being told the matter had been referred to a Trade Dispute Tribunal which made further action illegal.

He said: "We have turned the matter over to the Attorney General who will proceed down legal lines as she sees fit."

He urged teachers to return to work after they voted yesterday to continue action at the Island's public schools. A march on Parliament is likely on Friday as teachers pressure Government for higher wages.

Mr. Lister said: "We are finding it very difficult to appreciate, when you consider that teachers are role models and value setters, for them to continue their action, flying in the face of all things they teach in the classroom.

"That's what's so alarming about this situation. We have the laws of the land being flouted."

There had been no talks with teachers yesterday, said Mr. Lister. "The teachers have been in meetings all day as far as we know. We have had no official response from them."

Teachers would be individually liable for punishment under the act Trade Disputes Act 1992, said Mr. Lister. Maximum convictions in Supreme Court are fines of $5,000 and two years in prison. In magistrates' court the maximum punishment is $1,000 fines or imprisonment of three months in jail. Mr. Lister said evoking the act had normally put a dispute on hold but teachers remained defiant.

Speaking after yesterday's mass meeting of teachers at St. Paul's AME church Hall, Bermuda Union of Teachers General Secretary Mike Charles said they had voted unanimously to continue action until there was a resolution they could accept.

He said teachers knew their strike was unlawful.

"This is what the members feel they have to do. Teachers feel they have taken enough, for long enough.

"They feel they were put in a position where they had no other choice.

"When something is morally wrong there are also steps the people have to take to bring change."

The vote was taken after the union's executive was asked to leave the meeting.

Mr. Charles denied this was a tactic to stop union leaders being sanctioned under the Trade Disputes Act.

Asked about possible legal action Mr. Charles said he didn't know if it would be against union leaders or the rest of the 830-plus member union.

Asked if he felt strongly enough to go to prison Mr. Charles said: "If that's what it takes. We will have to deal with that when it comes."

He said he didn't know if the union could survive major fines or when teachers would be meeting to assess the situation. Mr. Charles said teachers were in "deep agony" over the disruption caused to education.

"It's not something they take lightly. Which is why it took over an hour and a half to come to this decision.

"There was a lot of talk about how it would affect the children and how they would catch up."

Bermuda National Parent Teachers Association President Wendy Augustus said the strike had been very inconvenient for parents and more consultation with teachers would have been appreciated.

A Government spokesman said schools were still open and parents could leave their children with principals and management staff who would take care of them during the day.

CedarBridge Academy's Parent Teacher Student Association Chairman Robin Richardson said he felt mixed emotions about the teachers action.

He said: "Teachers should be the highest paid people in the country because of the job they do."

But he said teachers were setting a dangerous precedent by the breaking the law as children would follow their example to justify disobeying school rules.

Bermuda Employers Council Executive Director Andrea Mowbray said she had been flooded with calls from businesses suffering from labour shortages as parents stayed home to look after children.

She urged employers and employees not to take advantage of the dispute.

"Some staff are using it to get a week off."

To minimise disruption some companies have been encouraging "kiddie pools" in which certain mums were designated to stay at home with the children of colleagues, said Ms Mowbray.

Opposition Education Spokesman Tim Smith said Government had failed to get a grip on teachers unrest which had been bubbling since 1998.

"In this term alone, our children have already lost five days of schooling. I am also concerned about the safety and protection of our children as they wander the streets.

"I am concerned for those children who are home alone and unsupervised. These children are vulnerable."

On the pay talks he said lower paid teachers should get up to a 12 percent pay rise while teachers at the higher end of the scale might settle for an amount nearer three percent.

"We make this proposal in the interest of seeing our children back in school and the two sides return to the bargaining table," said Mr. Smith.