Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown accused ferry operators of having a "kindergarten" approach to industrial relations after they crippled morning services yesterday.

All ferry services were cancelled after operators walked out in a dispute over winter scheduling, with the Ministry of Transport saying it received no official notification.

Services were resumed around noon after Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU), Marine and Ports staff and Transport held talks to resolve the dispute.

The operators took action because they claim the new winter schedule does not give them the same weekend time with their families as they had last year.

Dr. Brown told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "This was ridiculous and grossly insensitive to the Bermudian public.

"When will we move out of the kindergarten of labour relations where dissatisfaction and striking come within a day of each other?

"I am concerned, and I am sure the union leadership is concerned, because this flies in the face of the bargaining agreement to which they hold us.

"Work resumed thanks to effective leadership by the union hierarchy, but it tells me the union leadership has a lot of work to do in educating its membership on how reasonable people begin settling their differences without resorting to striking.

"I understand it was something to do with winter scheduling but we received no official notification."

Acting BIU president Chris Furbert said yesterday that the strike was "unfortunate" but staff were frustrated that no progress had been made.

And he said staff had between four and six previous meetings with management to try to resolve the dispute.

"Last summer they had a winter schedule and they said to management, could they keep the same schedule which allowed them a weekend off every three or four weeks to be with their families," he said.

"The new schedule didn't have that time with their families so they said `no'. We had four to six meetings before to resolve that but we could not resolve that.

"I don't want to be at cross-purposes with the Minister, but the Minister and the rest of the country must understand that we work for our members.

"We have meetings with management to resolve matters in a timely fashion, but it doesn't always work.

"If the workers decide that they can't resolve the differences and they decide to exercise their democratic rights, that's their decision, whether I agree 100 percent with it or not.

"It is unfortunate that sometimes the only thing that gets the Minister's attention is to stop work sometimes.

"I agree with the Minister that it should not come to that, but when you're talking, talking, talking and no one is listening, the only way to get attention is to stop work."