A dozen Hustle Truck workers hurled abuse and vandalised Bermuda Housing Corporation property in a row over pay, Housing Minister David Burch revealed yesterday.

Sen. Burch said last Friday's incident had forced the temporary suspension of the scheme, in which unemployed people are bussed around the Island to carry out manual labour.

"We have suspended the operation of the Hustle Truck on Friday after an incident at the Corporation," Sen. Burch told a press conference.

"It didn't involve a threat of violence. It involved the national word of Bermuda uttered fairly loudly and fairly frequently. There was a little bit of vandalism ¿ some pictures off the wall and bits and pieces."

Asked whether the incident had anything to do with pay, Sen. Burch replied: "It had everything to do with pay and how much they were being paid."

He said he had since been involved in discussions with BHC staff who have been managing the project.

"We sat and figured out what's been going wrong and what their mechanisms have been for correcting the situation," he said.

Stressing that the Hustle Truck was "not gone forever", he added: "We are fully supportive of the programme. It's been a resounding success.

"In a nutshell, even though we went into this with our eyes open, some of the challenges (with the clientele) have been greater than we anticipated. We are looking at how we can correct those challenges."

Sen. Burch said 270 people had participated in the initiative since its launch in April, with 26 graduating to full-time employment. Workers arrived at 8 a.m. and worked a seven-hour day, returning consistently throughout the week.

Regarding those people who were not involved in the BHC incident who would still lose their jobs, he said: "It's unfortunate that the innocent must suffer because of the guilty.

"All those people essentially fall into a broader category of opting out. It's a situation we regret but to get a handle and better manage, and not have a repeat, it warrants the decision I made."

Sen. Burch had hinted at the incident on Sunday night when he released a statement referring to "behavioural challenges" with some Hustle Truck employees.

He said changes were to be made to better manage the personnel, who have "a variety of issues not normally seen in the workplace."

Workers are now expected to confirm information including their work history, skill set and desired occupation. Hustle stands for Help the Unemployed Sustain Themselves through Limited Employment.

Reacting last night, Sen. Gina Spence-Farmer, Shadow Minister for Community and Cultural Affairs, said the Hustle Truck was a good idea, but had ran into problems because organisers had not made measures to work effectively with street people.

"It is not strictly the fault of the workers that the programme was suspended because of what the Minister described as 'behavioural challenges' among them," said Sen. Spence-Farmer.

"Despite the big public relations push by Minister Burch through the first months of the programme, the reality is that he did not have a realistic plan in place to manage the people they were putting to work. You can't just take people off the street and expect them to do spot work around the Island without proper supervision and support.

"It is just one more example where an idea to do some social good did not get the commitment and resources needed to succeed; where the programme fell short of the promised opportunity."