Videos: Bus Strike Over Firing of Employee
[Updated] This afternoon [Feb 9] bus drivers have just gone on strike, with BIU President Chris Furbert saying the action was predicated by the firing of a long term employee.
The staff member was let go as they allegedly called in sick, and on that same day went to do another part time job within Department of Public Transportation. It was mentioned that he had promised a co-worker he would fill in for him.
Mr Furbert said that while the BIU does not condone the actions of the employee as such, they cannot however support the actions of the Department of Public Transportation.
Mr Furbert said he would like to see the employee reinstated, and face a suspension as a disciplinary measure, but not terminated. The employee has 18 years of service.
Mr Furbert said that after the press conference [which ended at around 4:20pm today], he was heading to a meeting at the Department of Public Transportation to meet with staff.
Video and further updates to come…
Update 5:20pm: Quick 2 minute clip of the press conference. [Full video to come later]
Update 5:30: After the press conference was given at BIU headquarters, President Chris Furbert made his way to the Bus Depot on Palmetto Road and spoke with a gathering of drivers, updating the drivers on the industrial action taken.
Update 5:50pm: We took a visit to the Bus Terminal in Hamilton, and saw a St George’s bus leaving with passengers, which stopped to pick up 3 passengers outside Victoria Park. Passengers were waiting at the Terminal, and told us that they believe some buses may still be running.
Update 6:00pm: Video of Mr Furbert meeting with drivers at the Palmetto Road Bus Depot at approximately 5pm.
Update 6:05pm: Official Government statement saying he had called in sick three consecutive days while at the same time working another job, and forged the signature of that vendor for the three days. They also said the person has done this before. The full statement follows.
A work stoppage was imposed this afternoon by the BIU after talks broke down regarding the termination of an employee of the Department of Transport. Disciplinary action was taken against the individual as he had called in sick three consecutive days while at the same time turning up for work in the employ of an outside vendor at a PTB depot in the evening of those same three days. The individual also forged the signature of that vendor for the three days.
The individual previously had done the same thing as he worked at an outside job while being on sick leave. On that occasion the decision to terminate the individual was reduced to two weeks suspension due to his years of service. As this latest incident constitutes gross misconduct, management of DPT made the decision to terminate the employee. The Labour Office has been contacted and the matter will be turned over to the Labour Minister.
Update 6:47pm: Bus Depot pictured below, filled with buses, at 5:50pm.
Update 7:26pm: Full 10 minute video of Mr Furbert’s press conference at 4pm today:
They are still running I just saw one.
with passengers?
WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE IS THE BUI SENDING TO OUR KIDS??? The message is, it’s OK to be fraudulent towards your employer. The BUI has a lousy attitude as it relates to work ethic.
Can we add strikes to the 2011 bus schedule…just so we can all plan better. Every 3rd Monday or Tuesday between 10 am and 4 pm?
LOFL!!!
Made my day with this comment! Good one!
OMG>>>I had a good laugh at this too, I shouldn’t be laughing but I had to. Thank you!
hilarious
18 years of service? Then he should know better. I get tired of hearing and having to suffer inconveniences because someone tries to flaunt the rules surrounding their job and then use the Union and other co-workers as pawns to get their job back.
If he isn’t fired for calling in sick and then showing up then he should be fired for stupidity.
I concur. Total lunacy!
So do I!
I agree, this is rediculous, he broke the rules for the SECOND time, he totally deserves to be fired. You cant call in sick and then go work another job, that just common sense! His employers have to set a precedent by firing him!
they should be fired for that IF this is really what happened- of course we don’t know for sure. but in general, calling in sick and then working another job is stealing. i’m sure most people don’t see it that way but it IS. you’re being paid sick pay by the job you LIED TO and now you’re filling in elsewhere. completely inexcusable, not to mention incredibly dumb. everybody knows that rule and in times like this if someone is dumb enough to do that, they should lose their job.
i’m sick and tired of lazy bermudians who have absolutely no respect for an honest day’s work. as a country, our work ethic has gone down the toilet and people who do stuff like what is alleged to have happened here, give honest hard-working bermudians a bad name.
well go back to your country a-hole..people like you probably took a Bermudians job because you say you aint lazy, knowing full well you are
Swing and a miss…
This is BS and exactly why I don’t support unions, they are dinosaurs a thing of the past we don’t need them anymore.
Like what first the guy gets drunk and crashes the boat and they really have the balls to protest that the guys shouldn’t be fired. Now this!!
Any day I called in sick(work in a business in hamilton) and got caught packing groceries up marketplace why shouldn’t I be fired. I blatantly lied and tried to mislead you for my benefit. So why then are unionized workers treated differently. Why does the concept of what’s wrong have to change because of some abstract idea of the collective that unions claim to represent. Its BS straight and plain.
didn’t the BIU get forgiven $800,000 in return for a guarantee that these sudden strikes would stop…can we have our money back now???
Try over $10mn (that includes inflation as it was issued nearly a decade ago) in debt forgiveness due to the Berkeley project performance bond issued by the Union!! That was taxpayers money!!
It’s a Wildcat Strike and it’s ILLEGAL!
bet yer @$$ the powers that be WONT do a thing about it though.
So, you call in sick to your full time job so that you can do a part time job with the same company. That is wrong on so many levels that there is no possible way of exonerating yourself. After 18 years of service, you would think that this should be common knowledge as something you just do NOT do, on any level of service. When you’re sick, you’re sick. Furthermore, you don’t show up to the same place of employment where both of your jobs are and expect to skip out on one while doing the other. Still, I understand that times are hard, but that’s still NO excuse, and it leaves a lot to be considered when looking at your employment record, i.e., if you thought to cheat your job in this small area, what else are you hiding?
WTF??
At least sit down and talk about it first before resorting to a strike and inconveniencing innocent tax payers that are trying to go about their daily business.
A family member of mine just told me that one bus stopped at the nearest bus stop up in Warwick and told everyone to get off because he had to go to the Somerset terminal to go on strike!! There were children on the bus as well and how embarassing would it be if there were tourists travelling on that bus!!
Totally unnecessary and thoughtless as far as I am concerned…
That is disgusting!! Where is the care and concern for your fellow man? I am sure parents are not too pleased that thier children can’t get home and have to resort to hitching rides. I pray that your family member was mistaken, but if they weren’t God help us!
A**eholes, the lot of them, fire them all and hire Phillipinos.
The last buses left around 4:50. The man explaining it said that the buses that were out would probably keep on their routes, but that no others would leave.
Freaking ridiculous. I’d love to see the powers that be actually punish them for a strike like this.
Now the public needs to strike and boycott the bus if this nonsense is going to continue. It’s lost it potency. They’ve done it waay too many times. How many strikes till you’re out? Think about the public too for a change. Striking should be a last resort.
18 Years of Service and he makes such a foolish decision to go to site to do a part-time job after calling in sick on his full-time job!
That’s pure ignorance and the union is just as ignorant for halting the service with a strike for such an incident.
Putting the public at risk on a moment’s notice in times like these – recession, high crime rate etc – these union people are just plain irresponsible .
If there’s a process for PTB management to follow in firing a worker, there’s definitely is a process to follow before going on strike !
I sincerely hope none of their teenage children, or great aunts are robbed while trying to get home tonite …
Don’t the unions have to give at least 21 days notice before going on strike?
It sounds as though Mr. Furbert is celebrating and looking for support of BAD and INTOLERABLE BEHAVIOUR which ironically is one of the core problems in our society today. I am appalled that the president of the workers union would allow the PTB to be on strike and inconvience those workers who portray discipline that is unheard of after 18 years. Mr. Furbert allowed the workers to inconvience the workers.
Only in Bermuda!!! Irresponsible childish behavior all round.
It would be nice if the Government grew a pair & do what President Regan did to the Air Traffic Controllers for wildcat strikes. Fired the lot of them.
Should do the same here. Fire the whole lot. Those who want to come back & work, fine, but not under the BIU.
This is no time to be messing with wildcat strikes.
I agree TD – Every driver who chose to strike should be sacked and an entirely new group of drivers on new, non-unionised contracts should be hired. This is total BS.
This is crazy. At a time when people are losing their jobs for this individual to show such a lack of respect and dishonesty towards his employer is disgusting. The PTB shouldn’t back down – he needs to go and take his co-workers with him. PTB needs to place an ad for x amount of new bus drivers.
We wonder why our children are running around with a chip on their shoulder acting like the world owes them something… And why it is said that Bermudians have a poor work ethic. Fire the lot of them.
All I could say,is wrong is wrong,he fired him self,think before you move,and also I’m calling a spaid a spaid.What makes you think that you could do what you want and still have a job, because of 18 years, it makes the rest of us look very bed,check his track record to see what else comes with his 18 years and see if he stands a chance in HELL on holding on to that job.We all have too think twice at times,don’t carpenters measure twice and cut once?.
What the driver did was dishonest. End of story. So…the other drivers condone this dishonesty? And so does the BIU? (And, sorry, Mr. Furbert, by backing the driver against the Department of Public Transportation, that’s what you’re doing…despite what was said to the contrary) No wonder the Island is falling deeper into the toilet.
The other drivers are not condoneing this dishonesty,then went to sign on and was told that they can’t,and Mr Furbert was the one to call off the services.
Can we have someone in government that has the balls of a Ronald Reagan and fire all them that supported an illigal strike. Listening to the pathetic reasons provided by the leader of the BIU was really disgusting and he should also be relieved of his position. The driver after serving 18 years should know the differenc between stealing time and being deceitful about his/her sick leave.
The BIU leader should stop supporting sh&t-y work habits by his members and than apoligising to the public for illigal strike actions.
I hope the BIU Leader will not attempt to encourage the ferry services to follow the bus drivers illigal activity.
The Good old “Mexican standoff.” He will get his job back, we all know that. Maybe while he is suspended he could work at the other job. Perfect!
Chris furbert looks worried in the video. He needs to read Otti’s Book ” How to do as you are told’
I have a suggestion.. Fire everyone who walked out and replace them with those out there struggling to find work!!
I am sooooo tired of this island…what are these fools portraying to our kids? To not take work seriously and that’s ok!! Was the guy even a bermudian worker or is he married to a bermudian..I am fed up that they could call strike for some idiot who decided to do something foolish..and just like every other job every action has a consequence…the part that makes me sick is that all of these people could proudly come on the news to defend someone’s wrongdoing!! You have to think..will this person ever do this for me? What about the innocent kids just learning how to catch the bus..how terrified they must be!! Is this really worth inconveniencing the public for this one idiot who has been working there long enough to know better..the more years he’s been there..the stupider he looks..instead of DPT supporting him..they should learn from this and use it as an example!! ONLY IN BERMUDA
CleanCut
I like it he is in a win win.
J
I’m sorry I can understand the Union wanting to back him up, but he broke the rules, I don’t care if he work there 18yrs or 118yrs, same bull.
Yt’s the UBP’s fault. Lord,…don’t you guys get it. Were back to the Plantation…….Railway Trail works well till you get to flatts and Haug Bey Laval…..
The job of unions is to defend workers against UNFAIR practices in the work place! It is unbelievable that the union is defending a criminal. The worker is stealing from the people of Bermuda who continue to pay his salary for sick leave. In a time when so many Bermudians are hurting financially, the actions of this DPT worker amount to theft. The actions of the union can only then be considered collaboration! Bermuda we need to wake up and take responsibility for our actions. This bad Samaritan got what he deserved, after all he had been warned once before. How many chances do people get. He is lucky he is not going to West Gate where he belongs!
Time The Pres left the building!
This is the type of behavior the irresponsible union represents. In today’s world, the only people that needs union representation is the lazy and dishonest. If you can’t get fired for stealing and drunk driving, then I don’t know what else can get you fired. In all my days of working, I was never a union member, and I was able to negotiate my own salary and increases, when I thought I deserved it and I was never denied and this is so, for all the dedicated and hard working people that I know.
To hell with the BIU, they are an antiquated and obsolete organization, and the sad thing is, one day the union leader will be Deputy Premiere or worst, “God forbid” Premiere.
This is disgusting… the union is full of it.. and the strikers just wanted a free day off to do less work than they already do. Drive your damn bus and shut your mouths, be lucky you have a job and stop trying to be captain save this guy. Down right despicable. He knew what he was doing and if he gets his job back then they should amend employment contracts with “sick days without ailment to work elsewhere” we should all get 10 of them. This is a whole pile of sh#t and all the union is doing is smearing it on the walls.
DISGUST
A young observer
Permanent Secretary of Transportation
Mrs. Cherie-Lynn Whitter
clwhitter@gov.bm
295-3130
Thanks…the PS is actually Ellen-Kate Horton….ekhorton “at” gov.bm
Taken from the Bda Gov website 2 minutes before posting… just another example of Bermudian inefficiency I guess! Wow! Its embarrassing to be Bermudian these days!
Probably got her BB vibrating off the hook..LOL
Unbelieveable! In the business world this would not be condoned but in the fantasy world of the BIU any member can get away with anything at the expense of everyone. This guy has a history of doing this before and his previous termination was reduced to suspension. Now the BIU want it reduced again??? Obviously he didn’t learn his lesson before and if he isn’t smart enough to understand that then he probably shouldn’t be driving a bus with 50 or so passengers under his care. Give me a break!
OK after 18 years the guy does deserve a break… If fact, he already got it! That break was the fact that he was not turned over to the Bermuda Police for theft. If you steal from your employer and the People of Bermuda, prosecution and incarceration are the appropriate actions!
Those of us waiting for the 6.45 St.G bus got lucky – at the same time the fact no more bus service was running was announced, an entrepreneurial Bermudian showed up with his van and offered rides home (east) for $5 each. Definitely worth it to me, and the van load considered ourselves fortunate to have lucked out like that, after a long day at work and laden w groceries.
Public transport should be considered essential service, not something available at the whim of the drivers.
“Public transport should be considered essential service, not something available at the whim of the drivers.”
Agreed so much. My husband needs to go to the hospital tomorrow and now…we won’t know until God knows when whether he’ll be able to get there or not. I suspect that at least a good proportion of the drivers disagree with this action, which may be interesting.
It’s almost like Mr.Furbert is making excuses for a child.
Chris Furbert is the poster-boy for why no-one wants to hire Bermudians. The question is: will Paula have the guts to stand up to him over this clear abuse. ZBM reports a Ministry statement that this guy had done this before, forged signatures and was suspended. if she doesn’t stand behind firing this guy then she can forget reforming the Civil Service. This is a test case and I hope she knows that. This and another delay in the 9 Beaches matter in the Senate on the same day……..incompetence from top to bottom…….go figure.
Sorry Mr Furbert, really. I’m with you 100% when you defend a worker who is unfairly treated but this is ridiculous, all the honest workers trying to get home after a days work and they are inconvenienced because of a dishonest worker and his union defending him to the extent that we all have to suffer to protect his job. He stole time, he has a history of it and Mr Furbert is effectively condoning his actions. I have a union background and there is no way in my day that this worker would be defended .. I can only assume the BIU leader was not aware of the man’s history before he spoke at that meeting this afternoon.
It’s not too late to back down and get the buses back on the road, please don’t allow this to spread to the ferries also. Think about the people who need public transportation and want to go to work and earn their pay, think especially about those who don’t call in sick so they can go to their second job. Think about the honest workers!
Make it very clear to Furburt & cronies, next wildcat strike & you are all fired.
What did that $800,000.00 bond forgiveness to the Union over Berkley get us? It was supposed to give some labour stability. Oh well…another of Browns deals fallen through.
Fire the whole lot of them if they don’t wanna work. The guy that called in sick was wrong for working somewhere else and people should feel sorry for him…HELL NO…GET CRACKIN’ AN GET THOSE BUSES BACK ON DE ROAD!!!!!!!!!
What happened to principles??? What happened to consequences for your actions??
I guess if you work and you have the union,there is no principles,and consequences for you action,rem 18 years,lmao.
I guess Bermuda has none of the above. Keep it up Bermuda, and watch your million dollar homes devalue overnight. Bunch of idiots not only killed the golden goose, now roasting it over an open fire
Taurus, the UBP stole those principles and sold them to the Bank Of Butterfingers and HB…whatever sold them to Hong Kong and Eawart sits watching the Gombeys go by his house…………….
By the way. Where are the Gombeys…..Heritage being lost day by day……
ok so i ignored your first comment but again blaming everything on the UBP are you serious. that is the most asinine ignorant thing to do. i’m a young bermudian really young compared to you obviously since your talking about the UBP as if you where personally held back by them and voted against them again and again only toes them back in power. there is no way whenever something goes wrong with the government we can blame the UBP its been over ten years since PLP has come into power and blaming the past is not going to fix the future. we are a small island this nonsense about still being stuck in the slave days etc etc needs to stop. i’m not saying there is not prejudice in Bermuda but your not helping anyone by being ignorant and closed minded in the opposite direction. UBP did what they could even when everyone did not agree same way not everyone agrees with how things have been run by the PLP lately its part of life and politics not everyone is going to agree with everyone else seriously its so annoying to come on a comment board about the BUS STRIKE and see this. your comments have no true basis in fact other then being rude and inflammatory for no reason what so ever. i honestly just needed to get that said because no one else said anything and i’m not sure if they where just ignoring stupidity or agreeing. either way your comments where worthless unnecessary and offered nothing towards relevant conversation. honestly offer something worthwhile or at least make sense.
Kit, If you read Terry’s posts, he uses satire and pun to make his point. Don’t take his ‘UBPs Fault’ comments as fact. I think he means the opposite
Kit , have you not noticed that whenever the PLP is caught & backed into a corner for ineptness, corruption, bad behavior, silly hats, anything, the first thing they do to lay blame anywhere but on themselves is the UPB? Second line of defence is race.
It should be very clear to all but the uneducated that Bermuda’s problems today have NOTHING to do with the UBP. It has been 12 years since the UBP was in a position to make a decision.
Terry is being Terry. His style is different but he often smacks the nail right on the head in a sarcastic way.
Maybe we should privatize the bus service.
I bet you would see service 24-7 because the ambitious entrepreneur would want to make as much money as possible.
Best of all, no more strikes!!
I am not really bothered if the so called BROTHER has 18 years service, if the so called BROTHER never took a liberty in the first place by sloping off work to get a KFC, he would not have been fired. No wonder no firm wants to take a punt on the natives. They all think they are due a living.
^^^You are really looking for someone to rip into you ^^^ Your comments show nothing but a miserable, racist who probably thinks “Natives” should kiss his feet. GET OVER YOURSELF! I’m Bermudian, and have NEVER called out sick nor been late to work, stop generalizing! Moron!
I sure hope the bus drivers and the Union members are reading all the posts on here and see how their actions have infuriated the public. If i had my way I’d fire all the drivers and they’d be lucky to get jobs washing pots or cutting grass.
It is sad this happened. Drivers think when you inconvenience the public. If school was in and my 5 year old child was expecting the bus to get home please think about how my child will feel being left and not knowing how to get home. Think about that. The public use this service daily and a inconvenience like this for this very silly person is crazy. Please THINK …….. I think this person should be fired for this stupid selfish act. Gosh….
Hope this blows over by Thursday as I need to get to work…………………..
During a strike the only people who continue to get paid are the Union Leaders its only the workers who give up pay and the Union Leaders always take more than any of the members in pay….funny that….no surprise many go on to become politicians as they never want the gravy train to end…
As an operator,you can all go to hell!!
wow. ignorance must be bliss.
…being a Bermudian is getting embarrassing these days.
dont throw all Bermudians in the same boat, leave to the individual stupidity, not classing a group of people as a whole. I see alo of lazy workers non-Bermudians and Bermudians it just people. The bus drivers have to strike based on what they are told to do, so why should be say fire the lot of them?
It’s people who defend wrong that usually go to hell.
See you there mate on the number 8 route…
And remember exact change only…
No stops either… express to hell
No 8 is the Somerset bus . . . Are u saying the west end is hell?
must be from St Georges……..
Wow goppleboy I hope you are just representing yourself, because if this is all you can contribute my,my. Please lord never make my bike break down, I,d walk anyway.
Malachi, yes wouldn’t it be nice if s bunch of Government services were privatised? They would still cost us money. As they stand bus fares come nowhere covering the cost of providing the service. Back in the day of the UBP it was subsidized to the tune of something like 60% i.e. to suppurt itself the fares would have been at least 150% of what they were to be self sustaining.
With all the ‘free’ stuff now I would not be a bit surprised if the subsidy is around the 80% mark now.
A private company running public transport would still need Government support but it would be far more efficient & reliable than what we have now. A private company would not tolerate all these wildcat strikes. No more ‘meetings’ in the middle of the day to inconvenience as many people as possible.
Come on Mr. Furbert,
Let the public whose livelihood depends on Public Buses utilize the service that our tax dollars pay for. We as Bermudians have no problem standing up for those who have been done wrong, but the cost of handicapping our society is too great a price to pay for one person’s blatant disregard of work ethic. 18 years of service should allow him the chance to be suspended without pay for an agreed amount of time between the Union and PTB. After 18 years of service, the word “Accountability” should be understood to the core by the individual. Aside from the the issue that led to the termination, the price we are paying is one far too great without being offered a “refund”.
As for the Bus drivers who are not working because of their fellow colleague, many of you I know wish to return to work with dignity and honest integral service to the Bermudian society unselfishlessly. Perhaps this is an opportune time for the remaining Bus drivers to take a stand and realize what is truly at stake here; our dignity.
Just saw the MP contact info posted for those who want to send a note. http://www.plp.bm/contact/mp
Welcome to Bermuda! We go that extra mile…
…to skive off work…
I hope the union stands by their decision, the union is abusing their powers they are there to help employees who are treated unfairly and they have to know this is ridiculous. I wouldn’t even walk around in town if i called in sick let alone have nerve to complete another job, and its true he is technically stealing from his employer still getting paid to ne home sick but he has enough energy to complete another task.
I’m am so sick of the continual attempts by our local unions (particularily the BIU) to hold the country hostage whenever disciplinary action is taken against one of its member. First there’s the rush to defend drunk ferry pilots, then they’re quick to defend a bus drivers who hops off his bus to physically lash out at someone – where’s the common sense! Surely there must be one rational, right minded bus driver in the bunch who has the balls the think for themselves and challange the stance taken by their President. This situation makes it clear that the time has come for the union membership to question the quality of their leadership and question the advice that they are receiving from Mr Furbert. Actions like this result in the credibility of the union and its members to be called into question – its difficult not to view the whole lot of them as one huge circus! They’ll defend drunk driving, assault, fraud… what’s next its okay to kill someone on the job – it should be excused because they have 18 yrs service! Then we wonder why some employers harbor negative perceptions of Bermudian workers. Mr Lister stick to your guns its time for this insanity to end.
can’t wait to come back to BDA to live one day and chill whenever I want…make extra money on the side then SHUT DA ISLAND DOWN!!!! Love it! (why did I ever leave?)
It is totally ridiculous that the President of the union would call an illegal strike and disrupt the entire island for stupidness. How can they expect any hardworking, self respecting, “law abiding” worker to agree with such blatent disregard for rules and processes. It appears that Mr. Furbert has decided to ignore the fact that the worker was wrong, warned, suspended, and now fired which I thought was the sequence of diciplinary action to be followed. How can he justify holding the island hostage for nonsense?
He doesn’t have to justify as he is accountable to noone.