A tribunal hearing into the firing of a CableVision worker - which sparked a three-day general strike - was started and adjourned yesterday.

Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Randolph Horton ordered the hearing under the Trade Disputes Act after the sacking of technician David Green caused an outcry within the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU).

A panel of three, consisting of chairman Larry Scott, Bruce Lines for CableVision and Dr. Pauulu Kamarakafego for the union, met yesterday morning for the two-day hearing.

However, it was adjourned and The Royal Gazette was unable to find out last night when the hearing was to resume. It was originally scheduled to conclude today and nobody would comment on why it had been adjourned.

The terms of reference for the hearing was to determine whether or not Mr. Green had been properly or improperly dismissed.

Chairman Mr. Scott would not answer questions yesterday.

He said: "I can't say anything about it at this juncture."

Hundreds of BIU workers went on a three-day strike just days after Hurricane Fabian last month, in protest at the sacking of Mr. Green.

It was claimed that CableVision general manager Jeremy Elmas had fired the technician because he had allegedly conspired to get colleagues to go slow on repairs, so they could earn more overtime.

However, the union claimed Mr. Green had been fired over a joke made by someone else - for which he was blamed.

The mass walk-out led to the shut down of all public transport, Hamilton docks, repair work on the Causeway and other clean-up progress around the Island, leading to much criticism from the public who claimed the timing was wrong for strike action.

After three days out, Mr. Horton invoked the Trade Disputes Act and Attorney General Paula Cox took out an injunction giving Government the power of arrest over strikers who did not return to work. The union members subsequently returned to work.

President of the union Derrick Burgess said last night that he was also unable to comment at this point and said he did not have the date for when the hearing would be resumed.