workers.

Premier Pamela Gordon yesterday gave the green light to the expansion of the hugely successful Drugs Don't Work Here policy to cover all civil servants and blue collar workers.

Once the scheme is up and running, it is anticipated it will lead to the private sector taking up the gauntlet and taking a giant step toward creating a drug-free Island.

Launching the plan yesterday, Home Affairs and Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess said once the strategy was in place in all Government workplaces, then the next step would be the construction industry. "We would like to talk to them to encourage them to come along to seminars,'' he said. "Then other private sector businesses could become involved.

His words were echoed by Dr. Derrick Binns, chief executive officer of the National Drug Commission.

He said: "We believe most industries will welcome this, employers will want healthy workers and employees will want to know they are working in a safe workplace.'' The NDC is to start work on the project immediately and it is hoped the first departments will come on line early next year.

Negotiations have to take place with personnel managers, unions and the staff themselves, but there are not expected to be any hurdles. "The unions have been very supportive,'' the Minister said. "It has been refreshing for labour relations that management and the unions have found common ground.

"Drugs Don't Work Here is a major prong, if we can get drugs not working in hotels, sport and the workplace, then there will be no place for drugs on Bermuda.

"We want total unemployment for drugs and we won't rest until we have that.'' Once initial discussions have taken place within the workplace, then training programmes will educate officers about drugs, followed by intervention training designed to identify problems and how to deal with them.

Then, via the Employee Assistance Programme, workers with substance abuse problems would recieve help.

The final part of the plan would be drug testing, with the exact details to be agreed in the workplace.

Dr. Binns said there would be evidence of drug abuse in any industry and the plan was to stop a problem becoming a major problem by nipping it in the bud.

"This is designed for people who have difficulty with the use of drugs. We will do all we can to assist people who have a problem,'' said Dr. Binns.

"But we have no desire to help people who are dealing in drugs.

"We will help people who are supplying to support their addiction.'' GOVERNMENT GVT