A union warned yesterday that it would blow the whistle on companies bringing in cheap labourers from abroad and refusing to employ Bermudians.

The construction division of the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) said at least 100 local workers could not find a job and were being turned away from building sites across the Island ? despite a buoyant industry.

Spokesman Louis Somner told a press conference: ?If these employers are doing it wrong, we are going to expose them. We are going to show what we are capable of. We need to get our Bermudians back working. We have the law on our side. If you are doing wrong, we are coming after you.?

Mr. Somner said there was one site, which he would not name, which was ?blatantly breaking the law? at the moment. He said it was employing between ten and 15 men but only one was Bermudian.

?We have sent labourers down there. They are telling labourers it will be four months before they?ll even be needed. You can?t tell me that you don?t need a labourer from day one.?

He added: ?There are 100 workers that I know personally that are out of work.?

The union is compiling a list of concerns regarding the industry ? including discrimination, pensions, workers? rights and equal pay ? which will be passed to the Minister for Labour in the next few weeks.

?If the Minister doesn?t know this is happening it?s up to us as Bermudians to go and tell them,? said Mr. Somner.

?In no way are we criticising Government. We are just trying to point out a few things that are going on. We want Government to take a good look at what?s taking place.?

Mr. Somner urged all local construction workers to join the union and fight for their rights. ?Brothers and sisters, I?m here to let you know today all of this changes,? he said.

Government backbencher George Scott, the union?s chief organiser, said companies were greedy and wanted to bring in workers who would sign contracts which did not comply with Bermudian employment law.

?They are having people sign agreements before they come here which is outside the law,? he said. ?A hundred people here have applied for work and they can?t get it.

?If we have a buoyant construction industry, Bermudians have to be guaranteed work.?

Mr. Scott said permission should not be given to companies to start projects here if they were not employing Bermudians. He said that he was pushing for a change in Government policy.

A meeting is being held this evening at BIU headquarters in Hamilton at 5 p.m. for Bermudian construction workers and workers married to Islanders.

The Ministry of Labour did not respond to a request for comment yesterday. The Construction Association of Bermuda could not be contacted.