Union seeks government pledge on job cuts

Kevin Grant, new president of the Bermuda Public Services Union (BPSU), said he was guided by his members’ views — and at the moment they would settle for a guarantee of no redundancies in return for a wage freeze.

But he added: “I know that a lot of people — you can hear it on the streets — are talking about industrial action.

“I haven’t heard it from my members and I’m not saying industrial action is the way forward.

“But it’s very tense on the island now when you consider what’s happening locally and globally.

“I wouldn’t say, however, that there was no hope and I want to explore all avenues available to us.”

Mr Grant, who works in the government’s  planning department, was speaking just two months into the job of president of the union.

Around 600 BPSU members marched on the Cabinet Office two weeks ago asking for guarantees on job losses in return for no pay rises and a price freeze on essential services.

And members repeated calls for government ministers to lead the way by volunteering to cut their own salaries.

Premier Paula Cox, however, said that government could not impose price controls on essential services or guarantee that jobs were safe.

Mr Grant said: “At least we were at the table — I am always willing to sit down and try and get something that we bring back and get ratified.

“If I can get the guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies, it may be a better sell to my members.

“But they would have to vote on it. The supreme authority is the general membership meeting.

“If that offer was put on the table, I would take it back to my members and they would decide.”

Mr Grant said that the General Strike of 30 years ago happened under very different conditions.

He added: “Back then, there were people in the trades unions who fought hard for equal rights for workers.

Different climate

“The economy was booming and they knew they weren’t getting a fair share. It’s a very different climate now.”

Mr Grant said that the global economic downturn had played a part in the current conditions in Bermuda — but that decisions by government had also contributed.

He added: “The position we find ourselves in wasn’t down to the workers — but you can argue and fight over spilt milk and there are arguments about some things which may have gone wrong in the administration.

“The big question is how we go about getting it right.

“Everybody has a role to play — government, the private sector and the unions. That’s what we’re trying to push right now.

“We’re trying to see if we can get that tripartite forum going so we can all find a way to turn the economy around.

People hurting

“There are a lot people out there hurting. I see them every day and they want someone to send that message to government.

“And a lot of the people struggling are people doing the right things — trying to own a piece of the rock, trying to educate their children and do their best to be a contributing member of society.

“The Premier has told me that she is well aware of the feelings of the people and she wants us to work together to address the financial downturn and get the country on track.