Poll Results: Union Activity & Rev Tweed Permit

January 23, 2017

Poll results have been released on Rev. Tweed’s work permit and union-related matters, showing that  77% of  respondents agree that BIU President Chris Furbert’s “call for union workers to down tools over non-union related matters is inappropriate because it unfairly hurts the majority of Bermudians”, while 85% agreed that “Rev. Tweed’s work permit should meet the same standards as all other applications.”

The poll was conducted between January 5 and January 9 in order to “measure public opinion on the handling of Reverend Nicholas Tweed’s work permit and on the role and actions of unions in Bermuda.”

“The poll was conducted with 400 registered voters who have an intention of voting in the next general election. The margin of error for the poll was +/- 4.9%,” Global Research and Strategy Group Ltd said.

When respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed that “Rev. Tweed’s work permit should meet the same standards as all other applications”, 85% agreed compared to 9% who disagreed.

Below are the results to this question based on the total responses, and broken down by race, gender and age.

Total responses Bermuda January 23 2017 (1)

When respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed that “Chris Furbert’s call for union workers to down tools over non-union related matters is inappropriate because it unfairly hurts the majority of Bermudians”, 77% agreed compared to 15% who disagreed.

Below are the results to this question based on the total responses, and broken down by race, gender and age.

Total responses Bermuda January 23 2017 (2)

When respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed that “Union leaders should not threaten any democratically elected Government with work stoppages over demands for non-union matters”, 73% agreed compared to 16% who disagreed.

Below are the results to this question based on the total responses, and broken down by race, gender and age.

Total responses Bermuda January 23 2017 (3)

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Comments (34)

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  1. Jus' Askin' says:

    Election Polls are the ONLY Polls that MATTER ;-)

    Election 2017 :-D

    • Distractions says:

      Chris Furbert should get the BIUs affairs in order before giving advice to anyone or commenting on how things should be done. The membership deserve to know how their money is being spent and where it is going.

      How many times have you asked your membership to down tools on the last 10 years for non union related matters. And how many times have you given the members a single penny back for their support.

      I gave up being a member years ago after switching jobs. Every payday for 15+ years money taken out and nothing to show for it. The BIUs finances are a disaster and many former members believe that is by design. The books since Chris took over have been as munch as 11 years in arrears. Anyone that gives money to this group is crazy and might as well gamble their money on Poker. You have a better chance of knowing where your money.

    • Herb says:

      Yes you are so right they are the only polls that Matter, but sorry to bust your bubble mate but we dont have to have an election this year it can go as long as March 2018 before an election

      • Jus' Askin' says:

        March 2018 would be awesome to see actually

      • Juice Box says:

        I dont know anyone that actually answers polls. I got so fed up with them before tge last election. If bored i would answer questions but not answer correctly. But once you answer one….it seems you get calles week after week. Now I and those around me just so No Thank You.

    • serengeti says:

      Therefore the democratically elected government should govern.

  2. Smh says:

    What type of questions are these? They are so clearly unobjectively phrased and based on so many assumptions. Who gave you your statistics degree.

    • Say Whaat? says:

      Exactly what I thought! I guess that’s what happens when the OBA pay for polls.

      • Glad I'm not the only one says:

        We are an educated population and know a biased survey when we see one. Global Research, your questions had almost every example of data integrity biasness. The examples include but are not limited to: double-barreled questions, loaded questions, leading questions, unmatched sample population….shall I go on? Please do better.

        • Double S says:

          Not an OBA poll and straight forward questions. Not double barreled or loaded queries. 400 people is the sample size for every Bermuda based survey.

          But I understand the frustration when not everyone shares your POV. Much easier to dismiss the findings when they don’t align with your mindset.

          That’s the danger of remaining in an echo chamber as opposed to seeking out views which differ from yours.

          I mean what right minded individual would argue that Unions should have the ability to abuse their power over non-union related matters?

          But keep on keeping on.

          • Glad I'm not the only one says:

            I’m actually very much pro OBA and am a frequent participator of these surveys. The recent survey designs were so bad, that I actually wrote to complain. The OBA must do better if they want to get a true read of the population. The sample sizes are not random and are driven by offers for free meals at restaurants.The three questions that are displayed above were the least biased of the bunch for sure.

            • Double S says:

              Uh huh…sure you are

              Again, where does it say this was a poll commissioned by the OBA?

  3. Point boy says:

    The Unions have well overstepped there boundaries several times over the past few years. It’s dangerous; often illegal.

    Why is there zero consequences for the illegal behavior? let alone the enticement of (disorder) and out right threatening behavior towards (elected) government officials, by the leaders of the combined opposition. Still leaves me scratching my head

    Desperate and pathetic

    • Say Whaat? says:

      You just going to completely ignore any actions the government made to cause such issues? Pathways to status? Trying to impose more furlough days than agreed upon? The OBA has been completely innocent in your eyes, right?

      The worker, when he can’t get his voice heard in civil ways, because the people in power deem him beneath them, then he has to use extreme measures to get his voice heard.

      If the OBA refuse to work respectfully with people, they shouldn’t get mad when other measures are taken to make them hear the people who voted them in.

      • sandgrownan says:

        This is a joke right? Pathways to status? You have to be kidding me. And Furlough days? Really.

        • Madog says:

          80 people have just enter Bermuda to work not one of the jobs have been advertise the OBA are A bunch of hypocrites

          • Jus' Wonderin' says:

            Well the PLP/BIU all agreed with the decision so what’s your point? Guess they’re hypocrites too? MORON!

          • PBanks says:

            I’ll be intrigued if the call goes out to boycott Digicel…

          • Common Sense says:

            Please, please Madog. Check the facts first.

      • aceboy says:

        An airport project!!!! The HORROR!!!

      • Juice Box says:

        Pathways to Status was born out of the incompetance of the PLP. The introduced a new law that left loopholes.

      • Point boy says:

        If your saviour Mr Tweed, had not objected on any and every piece of legislation that the OBA put forward. He himself, like many others we went school and grew up with; would be on a (Pathway to status)!!!

        But he is different! HOW!!???

    • Distractions says:

      The Bermuda Government (whether it is OBA or PLP) should put them on notice, give them fair warning and advise them that the next time they down tools or march without advance notice over a non-union issue the government will immediately stop collecting dues from the memberships paychecks and forwarding those funds to the BIU. Make the members take their dues to the BIU themselves like they would for any other bill.

      Many will say, the government has agreed to the terms of the agreement. If the BIU abide by those terms great. But if they break the terms of that agreement and show no regard for the people of this country then stop making their life easy and make it difficulty like they do to us.

  4. Oh please says:

    Such loaded questions..

    • Zevon says:

      Straightforward questions. Clear answers by the Bermudian public. Maybe this is why it’s only the same three dozen septegenarians attending the PC meetings.

  5. So Tired says:

    Polls, polls, polls, and more polls..AND?

    • PBanks says:

      Well that’s your job security right there – go into the polling industry.

  6. Jadon says:

    Just like those polls that said trump had a 13% chance of becoming president lol… they make these polls up and expect us to believe….

  7. O.M.G says:

    Ya what is happening to the money that the members of the union are giving in. They don’t even get it back when they match. pay attention people

    • wahoo says:

      Perhaps the government should stop collecting the dues on the BIU’s behalf and let the members pay their own dues once a month.

  8. aceboy says:

    So the PC has requested that the PLP now join them. Given that they are pretty much one and the same it is pretty funny. All those PLP MPs clapping and grinning like fools on day 1 of the last protest……

    But how does the PC think they can get all those PLP supporters out of work to join their marches? It is easy to get the Union people to come out, they get a day off work whenever a *meeting* is called. Not so easy to get people with regular jobs to *drop tools/pens/computers* and join marches when they are actually supposed to be working. Do you expect these people to risk their jobs to join in a protest?

  9. Unus sed Leo. says:

    people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

  10. Truth is killin' me... says:

    Yeah and the polls for the US had Hillary winning the election…believe in polls at your detriment!

  11. James H says:

    The union has gone too far many times but never as far as when they supported a non Bermudian who falsified his local heritage and asked members to support their self serving intentions. Hard working union members saw through this. The union should be very careful in the future and not support such ridiculous movements. Are they for Bermudians or foreigners? Genevieve must go.