Minister Lister Thanks Public For Help & Support
Minister of Transport Terry Lister today [Aug.18] extended his “profound thanks to the Bermudian public for their help and support last night and this morning in providing transportation for persons who have been left stranded by the bus strike.”
The Minister said the “extraordinary efforts by all sectors of the community to help each other are very much appreciated and it’s encouraging to witness the extent to which people have gone to help one another.”
In addition to thanking the public, he thanked Marine & Ports employees, taxi drivers, mini bus drivers and other private transportation that turned out in force at Dockyard today to help ferry our cruise visitors to their destinations.
He also encouraged bus operators who wish to work at this time to report to the Palmetto Road Depot, saying “if you wish to work we encourage you to do so.”
The full statement is below:
The Minister of Transport wishes to express his profound thanks to the Bermudian public for their help and support last night and this morning in providing transportation for persons who have been left stranded by the bus strike.
He specifically applauds all of those bus drivers who stayed on the roads to complete their shifts thereby affording many of the travelling public safe rides home.
The extraordinary efforts by all sectors of the community to help each other are very much appreciated and it’s encouraging to witness the extent to which people have gone to help one another.
Thanks to the taxi, mini bus and other private transportation that turned out in force at Dockyard today to help ferry our cruise visitors to their destinations.
Thanks also to the professionalism of the Marine & Ports employees who did a phenomenal job in moving our guests via ferry from Dockyard this morning. The Minister wishes to advise that a commuter ferry came up from St. George’s this morning and will return at 5.20 p.m.
Additionally, the Minister wishes to gratefully acknowledge the enormous level of support by way of phone calls and e-mails over the Ministry’s handling of the industrial situation that has arisen at the Department of Public Transportation (DPT). He is grateful for the public’s confidence in his handling of this unfortunate situation.
Finally, the Minister encourages DPT bus operators and other employees who wish to continue working at this time to please report to the DPT Fort Langton (Palmetto Road) Depot. IF YOU WISH TO WORK, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO.
Thanks to all of you.
Read More About
Comments (41)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Articles that link to this one:
- Live Blogging: Bus Strike Day #1 | Bernews.com | August 20, 2011
PLEASE PLEASE Minister Lister – hold stong and don’t give in!!!!!!
DITTO!
The people are with you!! The BIU are selling us out!!!
I agree…. please don’t give in.
Minister—that happens when you do the right thing.
+1
Now that he’s thanked everybody…I’ll like to thank him in advance for getting the paperwork started to take the union to court for calling this illegal strike action! Less Talk…More Action! PLEASE & THANKS!!!
And to this lady who’s causing all this unnecessary BS…take your punishment and go somewhere…because if you had nothing to hide you would have pissed a bucket of urine and given a clump of hair already!!! If she is reinstated I’m sure there will be lots of passengers GLADLY NOT boarding her bus in fear of being put in a dangerous situation!
Also, if people can stop generalizing the bus drivers because not all of them are for this action…they have been locked out of the depot from what I last heard…but many do want to be on the buses and working today because they DO NOT agree with the union and their crazy tactics!!!
Well…looks like it’s open for them to get in those busses and drive! Depot is open and those who want to work can report for duty. Great job Minister! Go on all you fabulous bus drivers!!! We applaud you too! I’ve seen four PRIVATE cars driven by bus drivers IN UNIFORM with pink and blue ribbons on them stop to pick up people at the bus stop. Beautiful to see.
thanks very much,Not all we operators are in support of this strike but we have voiced our concerns and all we can hope it ends soon!Working with Jennifer has been great many laughs..wish you the best…..!
Her hair looks fake…..maybe she doesn’t have any hair of her own….as for the bucket of urine…second thoughts I’ll leave that alone.
Minister Lister, You are doing the RIGHT THING, PLEASE DO NOT back down. Go to sleep at night knowing you are finally getting it right. We are here to support you, despite the past we are in the present.
Right is right and wrong is wrong.
My fellow Bermudians, fly those ribbons, you are not alone. We will get through this ON TOP this time!!
Keep moving in this direction Minister!!!!
Good Day Mr. Minister
If upon meeting with Chris, kindly ask him to hand over the BIU’s years of delinquent financial statements…I bet you Mr. Minister will see a real story there…
It’s a game. Don’t you guys get it?
Union and BIU come to an agreement.
“The individual concerned will attend sunstance abuse councelling. Minister Lister and his staff have worked tirelessly to prevent further disruptions. Drivers will be back to work as soon as the cafeteria is empty and the rum is gone. The matter will be sent to arbitraion and ………
Fill in the blanks…..
The Union is the damn BIU! Cheesh!!! *eyes rolling* why don’t u get a life?
This is good. And he’s really gone down an avenue from which there si little room for retreat. Arguably he could backtrack, but that will be the end of him politically and perhaps the PLP.
He needs to follow through with demands for audited financials and perhaps, ulitmately, the performance bond. Is there scope for legal action over the lack of 21 days notice?
He has a choice. This could make or break him. Pleased so far.
At this time I’d like to remind Minister Terry Lister of President Regan’s actions during the Air Traffic Controllers strike in the US…….
Stay strong Minister Lister, you have mine, and most of the public it looks like, support!
@ Sean — Big, big difference in the case of ATCs. Huge. They were striking because of money (sorely underpaid) and shift schedules. For such an incredibly high-stress job they were trying to get better and more consistent on/off shifts (4 days on, 4 days off or the like)…..it wasn’t unusual for them to be expected to cover a 12-hour shift, or work 8, 10, 12 days in a row. These folks were getting seriously sick in many different ways — physical, mental, addiction, etc., etc. Ever see the movie “Pushing Tin?” Total stress job. That strike I supported.
Don’t give Reagan credit here. This one defeated strike (that Conservatives LOVE he broke) caused a chain reaction of deregulation across the entire fabric of the US. Look at the mess most of the airlines are in — thank deregulation. Even the economic mess today has at least some of its roots in the deregulation that resulted after the ATC strike break.
In the BIU case, it’s ONE driver who has repeatedly refused to comply with a very simple request. A request to which — and forgive me if I’m being too practical here — the rest of the union drivers should be encouraging her to acquiesce in order to settle the matter once and for all. One can only imagine that so many of the other BIU drivers (and governing body!) know that THEY would fail the test that they are voting to strike in the hopes they’ll never be tested — and thence be required to be sober on the job.
It comes down to the BIU drivers getting it into their heads that if ANYone of them is impaired while operating on the road, they have no right to hold the public safety in their charge. NONE. OH! And I can site 2 perfect examples from the Boston, Massachusetts public transportation system from the last few years to make my point, both involving a subway/trolley car driver — 1 driver was texting while driving a (I believe 5-car tram) on one of the street surface portions of her route. Missed a traffic signal. Crash. At least one dead. A few maimed for life. Many more injured. 2nd case? Tram driver drunk. Evening rush hour. 6-car tram packed to the rafters. This one collided with another train. Guess how many killed and injured?
It’s this simple. There are so many responsible drivers in the BIU who report to work every day ready to do the best job they can. They’re proud to be drivers. And they truly appreciate they DO have a responsibility to the public safety in doing their job. Those are the drivers to keep! And I’m sure they’re the drivers who have no qualms about taking a test. The ones who ARE — time to clean up your act, respect the job, or take a walk to something where people’s lives aren’t in your hands.
Sean is right. This strike is illegal. The BIU is out of control. Returning workers get to keep their jobs and those that don’t follow the law and report back to work are fired.
Sean, your making me cry. What the hell we gonna do with 100+ unemployed Bus Drivers. Get real.
That’s what Chris wants you to believe!! Terry…people have to live with their consequences. If they want to go on an illegal strike then they can all stay home and suck eggs!!! We have 100′s of brothers and sistas who want work.
They’re union members – let Chris worry about that! In the meantime 100+ currently unemployed people can look forward to a paycheck that I am more than sure they will appreciate.
Yeah, they look after their own.
Talking about thanks……….this is the gratitude you get from the UNION when the Goverment FORGAVE their indebetness for a Bond into the millions of $$$$. This was Tax Payers money. Thanks a lot BIU!!
FYI. Fm 89. Talk show. Today. 4.30. Chris Furbert
Whoopdydoo…..He should be sorting out the problem not talking shit on the freeking radio. What an ass………………….another diversion……..speaking to the Brothers and Sisters……………….their out of work…………………….
Who wants to hear from Chris Furbert……who can’t even articulate his own words!!
So are the buses working now?
CHRIS FURBERT MUST GO! PLP WAKE UP AND CHANGE LAW!!!!!!!
This was posted by Bernews on the other article about the bus strike…
“Update 3:52pm: Thanks to someone on our Facebook page, here is a link about a bus strike in Malta last month which saw 60 drivers walk off the job. Officials responded by flying in 55 British bus drivers to drive the routes. Their Transport Minister Austin Gatt is quoted as saying to the striking drivers “The days when you dictated what happened in public transport are over.”
Sounds like a good move… Minister needs to consider something as drastic as this to make the statement!
Minister Lister, I say don’t give in, what more can they do? Theya re already striking! Heck fire more of them and make them really sit up and pay attention! There are so many other bermudians out there in need of emplyment that surely loads would step up gladly and adhere to the rules that are given them!! This is a matter of getting away with too much for too long!!!!!
Oh oh….Looks like Chris Furbert overplayed his “poker hand” this time. WHO’S GONNA BLINK FIRST lol!!
Let’s all hope Terry Lister has the backing of the Premier this time, and she doesn’t “push him under the bus again”.
so you think anthony santucci should be a consulant for the goverment?
What is your point? You support her dissing of Terry Lister as she did did over the PTB employee that lied about being sick and falsified a letter? When Terry tried to stay firm and she overruled him? Actions like that that has resulted in the foolishness of today.
Yup. Nail hit on head. That last farce was her fault. She needs to keep her nose out of it this time and let Terry Lister handle it.
those who want to work should do so, and busses should be free of charge until full service is rendered.
And why should they be free??? You get yor ride, you pay. What is so difficult to understand?
Time for the Gov. / PTB to take positive action , and Haul the the BIU to Court, hit em every day in the pocket!
We need a Taft Hartley type Law to put an end to the public being made to suffer for
the union supporting dishonest insubordinate workers.
It`s not about a worker keeping a job, if they took care of the job that they were charged with, we would`nt be in this mess as it is, there are lots of unemployed
persons who can and be responsible, and appreciative of being employed.
We all know Listless doesn’t have the balls or brains to deal with this situation so you have to wonder exactly who is pulling his strings.