You Cannot Be Serious

In an act of breathtaking selfishness, workers from Bermuda's industrial union (BIU) yesterday walked out of their jobs in protest at the sacking of two Bermudian employees from Cablevision, the Island's sole cable TV company. Quite apart from the merits of the sacking, the issue of whether secondary strikes should be permitted, or whether they would have done the same thing had those workers been expats, to take such a step when Bermuda is still trying to put itself back together after hurricane Fabian is despicable. Even Bob Crow would be ashamed.

Their action has brought repair work on the Causeway to a halt. The ferries, now so vital for helping to reduce the traffic strain on the Causeway, at a time when schools have just gone back, are motionless at the docks. Without the tugs they depend upon the cruise ships are unable to switch ports and the buses that tourists and locals alike rely upon to get around are no longer running. The container ships bringing in vital supplies of roof slate are sitting at the docks unladen. Do these people have no shame?

So here is what the Labour Minister, Randy Horton, needs to do.

1. Give Margaret Thatcher a bell in London and get her on the next flight over here to act as his 'Consultant on Union Affairs'. To avoid the need to advertise locally and risk one of BIU's lazy Bermudians getting the post he could bring her in on a temporary 3 month work permit. Let's face it, she won't need more than 3 weeks anyway.

2. Sack every striking employee forthwith and replace them all with expats.

3. Charge every striker with the same offence that the boys from the Bermuda Regiment who didn't turn up for duty were faced with. Obstructing the reconstruction of your country after a natural disaster like Fabian needs to be punishable by a spell inside.

Finally, place BIU president Derrick Burgess under house arrest somewhere in a middle-class area of the East End after first removing his roof, electricity and telephone. And fly in Bob Crow to explain to him that there are some lines that you just can't cross.

Comments

[Nick Atkinson on 17.09.03 at 15:08]

Phil, if you have an opinion you really shouldn't shy away from it. Go on, spit it out. What do you really think? None of this beating about the bush.

This did, in fact, amuse me no end - that is to stay your remedy to the whole fiasco. But it isn't half as bad as what I'd like to do to the British Embassy, although I have now persuaded them to consider Coumba's application for a visa before the wedding rather than to all intents and purposes after the wedding as they suggested yesterday.

[Sunil Mathur on 18.09.03 at 05:20]

Missing the Daily Mail already, mate?

[Somers Kempe on 18.09.03 at 09:56]

Ahh hell, just put Phil in charge... he'll sort them out!

[Phil on 18.09.03 at 10:00]

I'm thinking of running for parliament in the next election. I trust I can rely on your vote? ;-)

[Sunil Mathur on 18.09.03 at 18:13]

You should campaign to make not voting for you punishable by a spell inside. That should do the trick.