Industrial Union president Mr. Ottiwell Simmons MP warned yesterday.

Mr. Simmons claimed Government was not taking enough interest in unemployment and did not realise the extent of it.

Speaking after a BIU hotels division meeting yesterday, Mr. Simmons said members were disturbed over the number of winter hotel closures and lay offs, the axing of two Grotto Bay managers' jobs and the lack of readily available unemployment assistance.

"It is my duty to let the public know the workers are restless and frustrated and they are not going to take it much more,'' he said. "They are deeply concerned about the way things are going in this Country.'' Mr. Simmons said workers were concerned about the principle of two Bermudian managers' jobs being cut. According to them, he said, resident manager Mr.

Alan Lugo's and food and beverage manager Mr. Chris Williams' jobs were now being performed by non-Bermudians.

"Unemployment is extremely high right now,'' he said. "And members are expressing concern that it appears foreign workers are still being imported into this Island while Bermudians are out of work.

"Of the five to seven percent of the workforce unemployed right now, almost 100 percent are local blacks -- this is a grave concern.'' Furthermore, he said, workers felt the Government social assistance programmes were demeaning.

"They tend to give people the impression they are begging for something,'' he said. "They are subjected to embarrassing questions, and then after answering them, they do not automatically get assistance.'' He added: "I don't know why Government is not showing more interest in unemployment. They obviously don't realise the extent of it. As a result of unemployment, violent crime, assaults and homelessness increase.'' He called for a statistical survey of unemployment and for companies to be required to register when they make retrenchments.

Mr. Simmons said the BIU had set up a roving committee to go into the hotels and assist workers with grievances and finding jobs if they were going to be laid off.

And he said the BIU had sent a letter to the Labour Ministry reiterating its support of a PLP motion for a comprehensive unemployment insurance scheme. The meeting was originally intended to update members on two hearings set to resume this month.

On November 9 the BIU/Hotel Employers of Bermuda contract talks get underway again before the Essential Industry Disputes Settlement Board.

And resuming on November 30 are the BIU/Grotto Bay talks over whether a collective agreement exists at the hotel and whether three employees were unfairly dismissed.