Government workers, including trash collectors and road repair teams, could bring the Island to a standstill after announcing plans to go on strike.

Unionised staff at the Department of Works and Engineering, which include trash collectors, Tynes Bay incinerator workers, sewage engineers and builders, issued a 21-day strike notice to the Department of Labour and Immigration on Tuesday.

And that means that, unless solutions can be reached in a stack of staff grievances, strike action could kick in on April 21.

Workers decided to call for strike action after no progress could be reached in three long standing disciplinary disputes.

The first incident dates back several years when a staff member was suspended for allegedly striking a supervisor. The worker was eventually found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm but, although the conviction was quashed on appeal, Works and Engineering bosses have refused to re-employ him.

Staff also saw red when a colleague was not taken on after completing his probationary period earlier this year.

And there are also staff concerns over disciplinary proceedings taken against a third colleague in connection with another alleged assault incident.

Last night both Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott and Labour and Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox said they were confident that a settlement in the dispute would be reached with the three week deadline.

But The Royal Gazette understands that a major stumbling block exists over the re-employment of the staff member sacked after being convicted of assault.

Despite the fact that the conviction has now been overturned, it is understood that both Mr. Scott and department permanent secretary Stanley Oliver are adamant that the staff member cannot be taken back on.

Last night Mr. Scott said: "We have received correspondence from the Minister of Labour that the BIU has served a 21 day strike notice.

"We are in the process of drafting up a response to the three incidents concerned. There are three actions, one of which goes back about four years when someone was injured by a member of staff and as a consequence he was released from Works and Engineering.

"Another member of staff has failed his probation period and the other issue concerns a threat made to one of the contract workers.

"At this time it would be inappropriate to make any comment that would pre-empt the response to the Minister but yes, we are confident that the matters can be resolved.'' Cabinet colleague Ms Cox also refused to go into any detail about how the dispute will be resolved.

"The Ministry has been informed and really it's now a case of getting some clarification and seeing if we can narrow down the issues,'' she said.

"I am not the party but certainly we are having regular meetings at this time and I think it should be resolved.'' Both Bermuda Industrial Union president Derrick Burgess and Works and Engineering permanent secretary Stanley Oliver could not be contacted to discuss the impending strike action last night.

GOVERNMENT GVT