Former Premier Sir John Swan said he was compelled to bring together the Bermuda Government and union representatives to form a constructive dialogue over immigration reform because his country is in a “perilous state”.

Sir John, who was Home Affairs Minister during the 1981 General Strike, initiated a meeting between the two parties, as well as representatives from the international business community yesterday afternoon at Cabinet, in the hope they could work towards a resolution.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette shortly after the meeting, Sir John said: “I played a role then [in 1981] and my role today has been very simple — it is to get the parties together and see if they can resolve their issues.

“The country is in a perilous state, not only in terms of its economics and social conditions which means that people will not be able to get the help they have been getting and if things deteriorate then people get laid off and so forth.

“We are heading into a tourist season and I just felt that if I could help to bring parties together without any interference other than trying to facilitate it maybe there is some way in which there could be grounds for some kinds of accommodation.”

Sir John drew some comparisons with today’s protests that have seen four days of work stoppages by civil servants but said Bermuda’s current situation is quite different than in the past.

“You had two parties that had an impasse. Often it was the result of misunderstanding — one has information about something and you have to bring the information process together to arrive at a conclusion and then determine whether the parties could live with it. In 1981, the whole country was on strike — the hotels were closed, the airport was not functioning, the cab services were not running ... the consequences were complex.

“The world has changed — in the Eighties we didn’t have the debt we have now, we didn’t have the international rating agencies on our back, we didn’t have the level of unemployment and the level of debt. The equation today is far more formidable — the disruption today has a whole lot of consequences not only for the government but for the public at large.”

Sir John said he was hopeful a resolution could be met adding: “I am very hopeful that can happen but we will have to wait and see, won’t we?”

“The meeting was a cordial, constructive, forthright discussion with a view to seeing whether any progress can be made. Everybody is looking for a solution and a solution that everyone can live with and justify.”

Asked whether he will be involved in the resolution going forward, Sir John added: “I will be at the will and the wish of the request of either party if they so desire my service.”