Telephone workers could be set to strike in support of a suspended colleague following a bitter row with BTC management yesterday.

Union representatives are meeting this morning to discuss what action should be taken after about 100 Bermuda Telephone Company employees took the afternoon off work following the dispute.

They are claiming that, because the dispute was not of their making, they should be paid.

But management are equally adamant that employees should only get paid for time worked.

The dispute arose after a member of staff was suspended from her job yesterday morning. Management claim the suspension was imposed because the worker failed to show up for work on two consecutive days last week.

About 100 workers attended a lunch-time meeting at the headquarters of the Bermuda Industrial Union to take advice on the matter.

They later returned to BTC headquarters on the understanding that management would be giving an explanation as to why their colleague had been suspended.

But when they were told that they would not be paid for any time they had taken off work because of the dispute, many left the premises for good and the meeting with management did not take place.

Last night BIU first vice president Chris Furbert refused to comment on what action the Union may now take, fuelling speculation that industrial action could be a possibility.

And he argued that, although there was a written procedure that workers should follow if they have a complaint, management should have also followed procedure by giving a written warning before they suspended the worker.

"This person has worked at Telco for 18 years,'' he said.

"There is a set procedure whereby a verbal warning is given, followed by a written warning and then a suspension.

"This person left work last Wednesday afternoon over a private matter. She tried to contact her boss but was unable to, but she did speak to two other people and also left a message on his voice mail.

"She was off work on Thursday and Friday attending the BIU conference. She then walks into the office on Monday morning and is suspended. She didn't receive any prior warning.

"Workers wanted to show some support. There was a meeting set up with management in the afternoon but when the workers were told that they had to get back to work they took that as an ultimatum.'' A spokeswoman for the company said: "The idea was that a manager was going to meet with the union executive to explain the situation. That could not go ahead because people didn't show up in the afternoon. There is a procedure in place in these situations but the union acted illegally by walking out. They are now asking to be paid and the company will only pay for time worked.'' BUSINESS BUC