Government Senator Walton Brown urged the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) to seek other ways of sorting out issues other than shutting down public services.

He spoke out after the BIU announced plans for a general membership meeting next Wednesday at 10.30 a.m. Sen. Brown said he had grown up in a trade union family and unions had made Bermuda better.

But he added: "I would encourage the Bermuda Industrial Union to find less disruptive modalities as they seek to hold meetings for important issues for their membership. "I think in 2008 it is probably less than appropriate to have services come to a halt so they can have important deliberations."