industrial action at the airport and Hamilton docks.

The Bermuda Industrial Union has warned that, starting tomorrow, its members at the airport and docks will not handle goods connected in any way with Bermuda Forwarders -- unless the firm re-hires 15 workers who lost their jobs last year.

The company claims the men resigned by walking off the job during a dispute, while the union claims they were "locked out.'' The BIU has said it will not give up its fight for the workers, and the company has adamantly refused to take them back.

Labour Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman said he hopes tonight's meeting of the union's transport members -- beginning at 8.00 at union headquarters -- will consider whether the threat of industrial action is "in the national interest.'' He and BIU president Mr. Ottiwell Simmons MP met for an hour on Thursday to discuss the problem -- but neither was talking publicly about it, and neither MP participated in a House of Assembly debate on the subject on Friday.

"The objective obviously is to remove any levels of anxiety and to try to get a resolution to a problem, rather than exacerbate one,'' Mr. Pearman said.

The Labour Ministry had earlier warned the BIU that the proposed action would break laws forbidding "secondary action'' against companies that have no part in the initial dispute.

That message has been passed on to workers at the two firms that move cargo through the docks and airport, Stevedoring Services and Bermuda Aviation Services/Aircraft Services Bermuda.

"We have indicated to all the employees of both companies that it is an illegal action,'' said Mr. W. Neville Conyers, who is president of the two firms. If industrial action does take place, he said, the companies would respond "according to the collective bargaining agreement.'' He would not elaborate.

But Mr. Simmons has said "a wave of protest'' could follow if disciplinary action is taken against the employees.

The dispute began last September when Bermuda Forwarders workers walked off the job to protest the firing of shop steward Mr. Lynn Darrell.

Workers were back on the job and a Government inquiry scheduled to begin when the workers walked off a second time. After that, the company maintained the workers had effectively quit, while the BIU argued the 15 workers had been "locked out''.

An inquiry was held in December with Bermuda Forwarders saying from the outset it would not be bound by the results. The inquiry upheld the firing of the shop steward. It recommended the other workers return to their jobs, and the company allow them to work.

The BIU accepted the inquiry's recommendations but Bermuda Forwarders did not.

Government said it could not force Bermuda Forwarders to follow the recommendations because they were not binding. But BIU officials maintained Government was capable of doing more than it did to persuade the forwarding firm to change its stance.

Last night, Chamber of Commerce president Mr. Louis Mowbray said his organisation was not involved in the dispute but its members were potential victims.

"What I'd say isn't any different from what a lot of other people have said: It could do a lot of damage to the economy which is already in trouble,'' Mr.

Mowbray said.

"... Everything that comes into Bermuda goes through the airport or over the docks. So it could have a big impact. It would interfere with hotel operations and with everything.''