BIU Cancels Meeting For City Workers

January 28, 2012

[Updated: Meeting cancelled] The Bermuda Industrial Union has called an “urgent” meeting for all Corporation of Hamilton workers this Monday [Jan.30] at 8am. A flyer said that the meeting is being held to discuss the “displacement” of Kurt Griffith and the “termination” of Troy Joseph.

Update 12.25pm: The BIU said the meeting has been cancelled

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Comments (56)

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  1. Freedom says:

    fire all of them um um useless baste^^ %%$ fire furbert, Cox and Burgess while your at it

    • Yup says:

      Funny how these URGENT meeting are NEVER held on a Sat or Sun!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Shaking the Head says:

    Maybe someone needs to use spellcheck and remember to add “n” between two vowels, although the letters are large enough to see the errors surely!

  3. True Bermudian says:

    Here we go again…

  4. Family Man says:

    That’s hilarious. Thank you Bernews for showing the poster in its full glory.

    We really need “a urgent” meeting to discuss the education “agedna” on this island.

    • BermyGuy says:

      I bet Laverne made that sign while on the phone on a talk show.
      Repeat after me A-G-E-N-D-A .

      • Rick Rock says:

        Dislexic Union Members Untie!

      • PEPPER says:

        Lavern , said on another blog that Tim Smith got his news from a talk show , well Lavern do you remeber when you were a senator( thank you are no longer one ) remember you mentioned quite a few times in your speeches regarding talk shows as a senator.

      • PEPPER says:

        Can you imagine how Lavern has the time to call the talk shows everyday !!so when does she have the time to do the union members business ?
        In my humble opinion the B.I.U. with the likes of the two Furberts running the show, will be none existent very soon.
        The people of Bermuda do not need this so called union… who are so disruptive,
        union members do you need the likes of Lavern and Chris, to run your union ? surely we can find better people to run the B.I,U.

      • R you serious!!! says:

        Hey BermyGuy,

        Totally agree….but they spelled it A-G-E-D-N-A……I did not finish school, and I’ve looked this up in the dictionary…Can you please explain the meaning of this word???

  5. Not Brain Surgery says:

    It does not take a brain surgeon to drive a truck or pick up trash. Anyone who does not show up to work Monday morning should be fired. There are many Bermudians out of work who can drive a truck and pickup trash. The Corporation should have a backup of workers ready to go Monday morning.

  6. LaVerne Furbert says:

    According to Mayor Gosling, “Management and unions must work together, side by side…”, hence there should be no talk by the Corporation of Hamilton of firing people who don’t show up for work on Monday.

    Remember, the management of the Corporation of Hamilton just signed a union agreement so I expect them to respect the rights of workers.

    • Family Man says:

      Ah, right then. The management has to “respect” the right of workers to wander off to a “meeting” with no notice. gotcha. Try that on a real job and see how long you last.

    • Rick Rock says:

      LaVerne, the idea of management and unions working together includes the assumption that the union members will actually show up and work. You appear to have overlooked that little detail.

      I’d fire every last one who doesn’t turn up Monday. There’s plenty of unemployed people to take their place.

    • blankman says:

      And I’m sure that agreement specifically addresses what happens if someone fails a drug test.

    • goonerboy says:

      I agree with you and the need for respecting workers’ rights.

      But shouldn’t the employee also respect employers’ rights?

      If this individual refused to take a drug test doesn’t the employer have the right to take action. This is especially true since it appears that this is policy and part of the collective bargaining agreement.

      What is the point of having contracts and agreements if one party can constantly flout these regulations and call upon the Union to take action every time they contravene the agreed upon principles? Where is the accountability?

    • asm says:

      Part of the agreement I’m sure was to show up for work, LaVernne.

    • Not Surprised says:

      Give me a break!
      1. If a meeting is required, they may have given some thought of holding said meeting on a Sunday, which would have minimal impact on public services…..This will have an impact being it’s on a Monday Morning.
      2. Also there is no references to management being invited just “Workers” so how is your statement supportive or inclusive of the quote that you have chosen to use? If management is in fact present and part of this meeting, this should be indicated on the flyer.
      Your concern is of firing NOT of both parties working together as the quotes used is indicated…..just sayin’

    • Finally left! says:

      Why can these meetings not be held after work hours?

    • Baltic Fury says:

      …and we expect the Union to support good workers and condemn bad, something they never do. Which is why so many people see the BIU as such a joke. And outdated and absurd…the poster rhetoric is 40 years old and reads like something from 1960s Russia.

    • And I hope the workers respect the rights of the Managers to manage…

    • The Doctor says:

      Although they have signed an agreement the devil is in the detail and management has the right to manage for what is in THERE best interest and the best interest of the business model that they have to sustainably run and run economically.

  7. FancyFull says:

    My Grandfather was a coal miner for 45 years in North England. By then retired, he watched Thatcher destroy the industry and watched the suffering of thousands of families through the strike in the early 1980′s. They weren’t striking because one of their brothers had been fired or let go, they were striking for wages. And the vast majority of the country, whilst sometime inconvenienced, supported them.

    The BIU abuse the right to strike. Using a strike has to be a last resort, not a first one. This lack of responsible use of striking undermines it’s very effectiveness and garners public anger.

  8. Not Surprised says:

    sigh here we go again…..they need to hire a proof reader if they are going to be sending out a mass communication :)

  9. The One (Original) says:

    If the verkuss stayed of de weed there would be no problem.

  10. LaVerne Furbert says:

    I wonder if the Management of the Corporation of Hamilton met on Sundays when they were negotiating their agreement with the BPSU.

    I don’t recall reading anything that states that the BIU was going on strike.

    Seems like you all have some inside information.

    • blankman says:

      LaVerne, that’s a stretch even by your normal standards. Negotiating that agreement was part of management’s job. The union holding a meeting on company time is another matter entirely.

    • wallawalla says:

      More proof that the BIU is a joke. Glad i stopped making donations to them back in the 90s .Looks like their media relations people are about as good as their accounts people that wereuntil recently 10+ years behind and only caught up after getting outside help. The spelling on this poster is embarrassing. And they wonder why we don’t hire our own people. Hooked on phonics… worked for me.

    • Common Sense says:

      Sadly, Ms Furbert’s response to the BIU workers walking off the job at 8am on a Monday morning to attend a “meeting” is so typical of the BIU’s attitude to Union-Management relations. It says, “We have every right to stop working whenever we choose, and we choose Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday etc. ”

      To compare the workets unilaterally walking out on Monday morning with the negotiations between the BPSU and the Corporation of Hamilton is ludicrous. Negotiation meetings are carried out between small groups representing both sides and are scheduled well ahead of time to avoid clashing with work schedules by both parties. I suspect that if the BIU wanted to have their shop stewards meet with COH officlals to discuss the issues surrounding the matter in dispute, the COH would have no problem agreeing to such a meeting in work time.

      All it would need is just a little common sense bit that is too much too much to ask.

      • True Bermudian says:

        Well the BIU has been useless and holding Bermuda back since its inception so don’t expect that to ever change.

      • LaVerne Furbert says:

        Shows how much you known about union negotiations. Yes, it’s true that negotiations are carried out between small groups representing both sides, however, at some the general membership must come together to agree on what the “small groups” have negotiated. Are you representing the Corporation of Hamilton?

        • Baltic Fury says:

          Why do you bother LaVerne? Are you just argumentative for the sake of it….a devil”s advocate? Because everything you say on here is so utterly contrary to common sense. The BIU are indefensible, it’s so black and white, it beggars belief it isn”t universally accepted.

        • blankman says:

          At which point the general membership should meet on THEIR time. If they have to meet during working hours they shouldn’t be paid for that time.

        • Common Sense says:

          @Laverne. I don’t represent the Corporation of Hamilton in any way, but I’ve been involved in negotiations with Government for a union seeking pay and other benefits, and our negotiating team held numerous meetings with Government.

          Yes, we had to bring the proposals back to our membership for ratification and we did so at a mutually agreeable time that caused minimum inconvenience to our workers, the Government, and the general public.

          Now that may be a foreign concept to Ms. Furbert but it worked and the negotiations were successful. I suspect that calling a meeting for 8am on Monday morning had a slightly different intention – to cause maximum rather than minimum disruption.

  11. Who is A G EDNA? What constituency are they running in?

    • LaVerne Furbert says:

      If you want to be gramatically correct you should have written “Who are A G EDNA? What constituency or they running in?” or “Who is A G EDNA? What constituency is he or she running in?”

      But we know everyone makes mistakes, even the rocky skink.

      • Suggest you get your eyes checked

      • Alsys says:

        Actually, using THEY to describe a singular person of sex unknown is grammatically correct, Ms Furbert.

      • Death to party politics says:

        “What constituency or they running in?”

        Shouldn’t that read: “What constituency ARE they running in?”

  12. Street talk says:

    You sound like a real anti labor person. BIU was originally setup to protect the workers that have little say. What’s happening lately may be ethically wrong but to state what you mentioned Is jus as rediculous.?……………….

  13. jt says:

    Oh ‘brother’!

  14. Shaking the Head says:

    I wonder if the message from the BIU to its memebers was that the “Meating has bean cansilled”

  15. Erica says:

    A urgent meeting? How about An urgent meeting. And agedna. Wow spellcheck if you aren’t sure!

  16. Funny says:

    LaugHverne lol

  17. CAR SPELL CARN.. CARN REED says:

    SUM PEOPLO SWALLO A HOX AN CHOKE ON A FLEA. No wander the islan in truble.

  18. Lock this mongrel up says:

    No wonder the country is facing an economic apocalypse. Half of the civil servants are illiterate.

  19. Cancer says:

    LISTEN YOU GUYS TALK ABOUT THE UNION’S SPELLING AND IT AIN’T FUNNY LET ME CORRECT

    ITS ….
    (an urgent meeting) not a urgent

    (agenda) not agedna

    (government) not government

    Lollol!!

  20. rick olson says:

    If you are going to have a meeting during work hours Monday morning is the perfect time as most places are closed today .

    • blankman says:

      But if you want to be paid for that time it should be the union that’s doing the paying. After all, you’re attending the meeting on union business.

  21. Razor Ramon says:

    FAIL

  22. Baba Bracksheep says:

    So, has the BIU issued an cancellation?