Photos, Videos: BTUC Union Members Gathering

January 26, 2015

[Updated with videos & more photos] A massive crowd consisting of members from the Bermuda Trade Union Congress [BTUC] gathered at Union Square this morning [Jan 26] after an emergency meeting was called for public service employees in reference to the furlough day.

Quick video just showing the crowds that gathered today

The meeting began at 10.00am and saw both BIU President Chris Furbert and BPSU President Jason Hayward address the crowd, who then marched to the Cabinet Grounds where Union leaders met with Finance Minister Bob Richards and Premier Michael Dunkley.

14-minute video of the Union leaders and Premier addressing the crowd outside Cabinet

A resolution has not yet been reached, and the meetings are set to continue throughout today. For our live blog covering today’s Union meeting please click here, and for all our coverage of today’s meeting click here.

Slideshow with 60+ photos from today’s gathering of BTUC members:

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Click to enlarge photos:

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Comments (17)

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  1. BermudaD says:

    This is not the mess that the OBA created.
    We need to know where our money has been spent since 1998 – 2004.
    The OBA are trying to fix this problem and this nonsense is not helping!

    • david smith says:

      the only nonsense is what you typed, how long will you blame the past adminstration for your present failings when you made promises that you could and would fix everything that is wrong in this country and by the way when fools like you and those that think like you talk it always goes back to your underlaying reason for opening your mouth and that is money, the only thing that you seem to know.

      • Politricks says:

        How long will you live in denial?

        The OBA inherited a massive deficit of over $350 million and a $2bn debt.

        Why can’t one PLPer actually acknowledge their massive part that your Party played in creating our financial issues? They inherited, in 1998, Government finances with minimal debt and little to no deficits.

        The austerity being implemented is the attempt to fix the screw ups of the PLP.

        Your Government wasn’t perfect and definitely isn’t blameless for our predicament we are in today. They are actually the cause of our situation. If you would like me to post irrefutable stats to prove my point I will. But I have a feeling even if the facts were laid out before you, you would still play the PLP is blameless card.

        • Ray masters says:

          This train wreck was in motion from as far back as when the UBP now OBA was in power, we have
          Been spending money we didn’t have for many decades not just from 1998. But you keep blaming only the plp if that helps you sleep at night ………talking about denial. You fixing a mess you definitely had a hand in.

          • Politricks says:

            You better check the historical financials to see that you just posted is total nonsense. Minimal debt and even smaller deficit in 1998. Nothing that required the issuance of hundreds of millions of debt to foreign investors and now austerity to make sure we pay our lenders.

            Use those lies on someone who doesn’t know the facts.

            • Politricks says:

              I love people who down vote irrefutable, undisputable facts.

              Exemplifies the absolute lack of intelligence on this island and ability to think critically and in essence are just sheep. Bahhhh

              But then again these are the same people who defend the abuse of sick leave by civil servants that cost the taxpayer $10mn a year.

          • Politricks says:

            And in all fairness to the PLP the overspending started around 2005 after a certain change within the Party itself. Up until then they ran a tight ship financially for the most part. After then, not so much.

      • Just a matter of time says:

        @Duane. So spot on. Just like the Grand Atlantic. It wasn’t good enough then but now there is a major developer taking it over. The then Opposition’s reckless scaremongering before 2012 sabotaged the potential returns of that project.

        • Truth hertz says:

          Then why did the majority of the BHC board resign after the PLP Government overturned their decision not to proceed with. Grand Atlantic due to the state of the economy? We’re these appointed persons also fear mongerers? The entire BHC board voted AGAINST the project only to be iverruled by the PLP.

          Here is a quite from the Sun article:

          The source said: “They are extremely small units and, for $700,000, you could not consider them low-cost housing. The board didn’t like the design or the cost.

          “In addition, the housing market had been saturated — there was no need for it. They were probably better qualified to understand these matters at the time.”

          And why would anyone, especially a Government, build housing in the middle of a recession that resulted in housing prices dropping by more than 30% for condos and thousands of people!leaving our shores? That is on top of the over supply of housing that came about when everyone and their mother built condos durian the good time.

          Then you price them at $700k while prices have dropped so that you can a single family home with a yard for around the same price. They even arranged 100% financing and still no one bit.

          But of course in your revisionist history it was the Opposition’s fault that They didn’t sell and not because off ninnane decision that the experts commissioned with making such decisions declined but the all knowing PLP ministers knew better.

          Keep calm and spin on.

  2. BermudaD says:

    I meant 2014 sorry

  3. js says:

    the OBA are fools for dragging the America’s Cup into this mess

    denial is a hell of a drug

    • @JS another asinine comment, how did the O.B.A drag the America’s cup into this, if anything they are just showing what has more priority over what. Either way I would like to combine the two also but it is asinine to do so, well either way they are showing what they are truly made of. also lets not forget the comments I made when P.L.P WAS in power that many would pull there finances out of the Bermuda economy, and when the likes of another U.B.P / O.B.A get back in power, you will see the likes of old Bermuda money resurfacing, so said so is being done but not for the likes of the working class people.

      • js says:

        lets think rationally for one minute

        why would the America’s Cup as an event and franchise want to associate its brand with a venue location that’s on the brink of societal chaos

        the OBA is taking a page out of the UBP’s 1980s play book by portraying Bermuda as some sort of island utopia when the truth is we are more like a miniature version of South Africa or Brazil

        not quite sure how the resurfacing of old Bermuda money is relevant

        but I figure you are desperately grasping at straws on how to come up with a response

  4. Dreadlocks says:

    Everyone knows the former administration messed up Bermuda.

  5. moonbeam says:

    This is SCARY ! If everyone doesn’t co-operate, EVERYONE will ‘go down the tube’! I think Chris Fubert realizes this but despite his efforts he is not getting through to his membership who are the ones that can destroy everyone including themselves ! Put race aside and base your decision on intelligence ! It’s for the good of the Country and everyone in it – now and in the future !

    • jonah says:

      Destroy is relative my star struck brother.

      If everyone cooperated than they would willingly share in the pain. The moment there is a hint that payroll taxes should increase for private sector workers, there is mass push back.

      However, having said the above, I believe that 20% of government workers are work permit holders.If that is true than there are 1000 opportunities to reduce governments payroll.

      Let the games begin…

  6. BermudaD says:

    The definition of selfish is

    self·ish
    ˈselfiSH/Submit
    adjective
    (of a person, action, or motive) lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure.
    “I joined them for selfish reasons”
    synonyms: egocentric, egotistic, egotistical, egomaniacal, self-centered, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-seeking, self-serving, wrapped up in oneself; inconsiderate, thoughtless, unthinking, uncaring, uncharitable; mean, miserly, grasping, greedy, mercenary, acquisitive, opportunistic; informallooking after number one