forced into joining the Bermuda Industrial Union without a vote.

Just as workers have the right of free association in a union and the right to collective bargaining, they have the right not to be part of a union and should not be forced to join one.

When that does not happen there is a word for it: Dictatorship.

It is not clear at this stage where the direction for the staff at the Aquarium to start paying union dues came from. Director of Personnel Service Judith Hall-Bean sent out a memo telling staff they were now part of an agency shop in the union and had to pay dues. But it is not known where she received her instructions from.

Nonetheless a labour government, like the Progressive Labour Party Government, always runs the risk of being accused of railroading people into unions and must take care not to infringe on people's rights, just as a business-oriented party will always be suspected of union-busting and should take particular care to see that the law is always followed.

The speed with which Transport Minister Ewart Brown settled on the Bermuda Industrial Union as the spokesman for the taxi driver -- in spite of the fact that most taxi owners are small businessmen whose interests may not best be served by a union -- shows how labour parties see unions as good things.

Similarly, the close involvement by the Bermuda Industrial Union in the work permit process also reflects this, in spite of the fact that it may unduly complicate the already red tape-bound work permit process.

Still, these kinds of moves seem to have received broad public acceptance, if not agreement.

But in the case of the Aquarium, where the employees seem to have made it clear that they want nothing to do with the union, the Government may have gone too far.

And instead of forcing people to join a union they apparently want nothing to do with, the Government should let them choose whether they want to be represented or not. There's a word for that as well: Democracy.

CANCER FEARS EDT Cancer fears Reports about the high incidence of cancer among Policemen who were accommodated in Prospect decades ago should give Bermuda grave cause for concern.

There has been a good deal of reporting on the issue but it is still far from clear whether something in the area has caused a higher than normal incidence of stomach cancer and how many people may have been affected.

There does, however, appear to be some likelihood that civilians who lived in the Prospect area and students who attended the-then Prospect Secondary School for Girls could have been affected as well.

The trouble is much of the evidence remains anecdotal. A proper study of the incidence of cancer of people in the area was promised in 1998 but nothing has been heard since.

The Health Department has an obligation to complete the study and to make its results known to the public as soon as possible.