Describing himself as “disappointed”, the Minister of Home Affairs, Michael Fahy, told the press in a statement that his office had been advised of the dockworkers’ action late yesterday afternoon this evening,

In his statement, he said, “I await a report from Labour Relations Officers who are actively working with both Stevedoring Services and the Bermuda Industrial Union to conciliate and effect a settlement.”

“I think I speak for our entire community – business owners and residents alike – when I say that sudden work stoppages are not the answer.

“The effective flow of our trade and commerce is vital to our community, and these instances where organisations seek to solve industrial disputes with wildcat strikes do nothing to help our challenged economy.

“We appreciate that within the workplace, disputes and complaints will inevitably arise. We also recognise the importance of upholding the rights of the worker and finding a harmonious balance in solving those disagreements. And we also understand the role of the union to act as an advocate for the rights of the worker.

“However, again, these are delicate economic times that we are currently in and there is a resolution process in place to avoid such actions like today. And it is imperative that both management and the union work with us in an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and respect to uphold this process.”

Minister Fahy said it was his office’s aim to achieve an amicable solution of this dispute. 

Statement by Minister of Works, Hon Trevor G Moniz, JP, MP

Five young Bermudians have left Bermuda to take courses at the New England Institute of Technology during this school year, sponsored by the Ministry of Public Works and in collaboration with the National Training Board.  The Minister of Works, the Hon. Trevor G. Moniz, JP, MP was at the airport to see them off.  

The students are Dornielle Farrell, Sergio Richardson and Jonte Smith, who are enrolled in the Associate  Degree Program in Automotive Technology, Ricardo Dias, who is in the Associate Degree Program in Body and Paint Technology and Dajon Carey, who is in the Bachelor’s Degree Program  in Service Management Technology.

In a statement, the Minister said: “The demand for certified professionals today is unprecedented. It is the intent of the National Training Board and the Department of Public Works through this partnership, to continue to emphasize the importance of qualifications and certifications as a way to demonstrate knowledge, skills and competency.  It is also a way to allow for the continuance of operations for generations with individuals who are professional, proficient and committed in a vocational occupation.

A Statement by OBA Chairman Thad Hollis, 8 January 2013

The new Tourism Minister has confirmed today that then-Minister Wayne Furbert gave Carl Bazarian 30-days’ notice in September of the termination of his contract to build the Park Hyatt Hotel in St George’s.

That means the contract was severed in October.  What happened to November and December?  By failing to tell the public before the election that Mr Bazarian had, in effect, been let go, Mr Furbert and his then-colleagues in the Cabinet misled the public in no small way.  There was great public interest in this new hotel, especially in St George’s, whose residents had looked to it to rescue their failing economy for many years.  

It is documented that Mr Furbert was given an opportunity by the Royal Gazette to comment on Mr Bazarian’s statement in early October that work would begin in January, but he declined, allowing all of us to believe it was the truth.  The effect of that silence, presumably after consultation with his colleagues in Cabinet, was to avoid putting PLP candidates in that area at a disadvantage in the election, and I see that as being thoroughly dishonest.