Union warned yesterday.

But a hotel official said Elbow Beach was not expected to reach the 70 percent occupancy level that could trigger a strike before late April.

Mr. Ottiwell Simmons MP said the decision to stage a three-day strike at the Paget hotel once occupancy there hits 70 percent was reaffirmed at a BIU meeting last week.

Asked if a strike at Elbow Beach was imminent, he said: "Absolutely.'' A further meeting for both Elbow Beach and Grotto Bay workers will be held on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the BIU hall, Mr. Simmons said.

"The purpose of the meeting is to look at ways and means to reestablish the union at Grotto Bay and Elbow Beach by reinstatement of the collec tive bargaining agreements,'' he said.

But the strike threat at Elbow Beach has not been extended to Grotto Bay, where management acted unilaterally to break its ties with the BIU when it raised employees' base pay and ended mandatory tipping in 1991.

"We're going to look at ways to handle Grotto Bay,'' Mr. Simmons said. At Elbow Beach, management broke its ties with the BIU late in February, when it awarded a 10.3 percent wage increase, improved benefits, and introduced a profit sharing plan.

But a short time later, a significant number of Elbow Beach workers signed a petition requesting continued BIU representation. The petition was sent to Labour Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman, who has referred the matter to Ber muda's Essential Industries Disputes Settlement Board.

Mr. Simmons said that like workers at Elbow Beach, workers at Grotto Bay have recently signed a petition asking for BIU representation.

Asked how the union would know when the magic 70 percent figure was reached, Mr. Simmons said: "That's common information. We will know.'' One BIU source said Elbow Beach was expected to reach 70 percent occupancy during the second week of April. But a hotel official said it would be two weeks later than that.

And a hotel spokesman denied a report that about 50 Bermudian workers made redundant by Elbow Beach in 1991 would not receive the retroactive pay that was part of management's recent package. Their cheques are ready to be picked up, he said.

OTTIWELL SIMMONS.