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Islanders vent their feelings about bus strike

Photo by Tamell SimonsHitching a ride; while the buses may have been a strike Friday morning this young one was pictured on the back of a wheelchair making his way through Hamilton.

The Royal Gazette was inundated with comments on the bus strike yesterday both on the comments’ section on our website story and on our Facebook pages. Most were very unflattering towards Government with just a handful supporting the reinstatement of the bus driver.Here are some of the comments.“Sets a very very bad precedent. I’m disgusted, but I guess it doesn’t matter how the average working person feels, because what the BIU wants, the BIU gets - no matter the cost!!! Again, you have all erred in this situation - Government and the BIU. Disgusting is all I cay say! :-( very very sad face.”“If government doesn’t have a fb page they should get one so we can blog on there, if they do send me the link! O wait they don’t Listen to the ppl of the country!”“All involved in this should be embarrassed! Government: You cave in on day one. What a great message you have just sent to lazy workers everywhere. You are beyond pathetic!!”“Their boots are on the necks of the people and Government of Bermuda!!! Of course this could not happen without Government’s help and endorcement. The driver had his chance the first time. He blew it the second time. There is an old saying “Screw me once shame on you, Screw me twice shame on you!” PLP shows the Unions in Bermuda that the PLP is better for the Unions then BDA or UBP.”“WHAT???”“Ha ha; I am willing to bet that a huge majority of the comments here are from people that use the bus service infrequently to never. Unions did not spring up out of thin air; it was in response to the attitudes and behavior of certain people. From what I can tell enough of that attitude and behavior still exist there to keep the union’s healthy for quite some time. Unions are to protect workers. I guess you guys would also advocate for people that you decide is guilty to not be afforded a lawyer; or if they are, the lawyer should be guided by the prosecution. Nonsense.”“The guy had a sick note from his doctor for his bus driving job.”“I haven’t felt this angry about a Government decision since the Uighur fiasco. Let’s recap: 1. The Government forgave the Berkeley performance bond payment in exchange for the BIU giving 21 days notice before striking. 2. The union went on strike without giving any notice. 3. The union ignored the Gazette Extraordinary requiring them to return to work immediately. 4. Judging by the comments online there was near-universal condemnation of the union’s action. 5. At 10pm last night Terry Lister refused the union’s demands. And yet, just 12 hours later the Government executes an astonishing U-turn, caving in to the BIU’s demands, reinstating the sacked driver, and even paying the illegally striking drivers for their shift last night. Not only is the Government’s spinelessness pathetic, it sets a dangerous precedent by signalling to the BIU that they can continue to break the law with impunity, holding the country to ransom over any decision they dislike, safe in the knowledge that they will always get their way. Alas the Government’s appeasement is only possible because a majority of Bermudians will not countenance voting for any party other than the PLP. If the Government feared a public backlash might put them out of office at the next election, perhaps they’d be inclined to be a bit more assertive.”“What a joke”“It’s official, the Govt have no back bone and we live in a society where there is no accountability. So much for the performance bond agreement...the Minister can shred that now!”“Everyone is gonna expect that sort of special treatment now LOL wow the bus service might turn into crap now hold on to your hats!”“Lets make furbert premier.. he’s the only one that cna actually control anything on this island....”“What a great lesson we are teaching our children *smh* don’t actions have consequences anymore???”“Sadly not surprised! The bus drivers held the island hostage until they got their way!”“So bad behavior now has no real consequence? So many people are looking for work, yet they reinstate a person that fully deserved to be fired? Shame on you Chris Furbert.”“Let’s not forget the bus drivers will still be getting paid for missed work last evening WTH?! What about those that lose pay because they had no way of getting to work….”“And people wonder where the stereotype about Bermudians being lazy workers comes from?!”“I’d rather have no public transportation and drive people around myself than see such nonsense entertained”.“Bermuda Government: You caved in on DAY ONE!! You are beyond pathetic. Bermuda is in real trouble when senior Government officials make brainless decisions such as this. You should hang your heads in shame all of you.”“Schools are out - no tourists. This was the most perfect time ever to hold ground and let the strike go on. Government has no balls whatsoever. We are all in serious trouble.”“IT IS BUSINESS AS USUAL.”“No accountability is king in all areas of govt.”“clearly the people are in support of the govt in this issue......2 cave in is a sign of weakness.....forgery is a serious CRIME, n 4 that the workers fate should remain s...ealedSee more”“LUNACY!”“Wimps”“Laughable, infantile, sad, scary, embarrassing, weak - but, as always, predictable.”“Lame. And do we expect this government to really have the resolve to cut costs? To make the hard choices that must be made about pensions? They fold even at the most unreasonable requests from the union ... they’d rather screw the taxpayers and economy than learn to fulfill their responsibilities.”“Bad behavior should not be supported. What message are we sending here!!”