A “revolutionary” bargaining agreement has been made between the City of Hamilton and the Bermuda Public Services Union (BPSU).The City’s management team is now covered under a collective bargaining agreement with the union, negotiated in just two weeks, Hamilton Mayor Charles Gosling announced.Asked why the City had sought union representation for management, Mr Gosling last night said: “There’s nothing wrong with a union. The BPSU has shown itself to be particularly good in how it represents its workers, and the relationship between the City and upper management needed to get in a better documented state.”The deal also stands to protect jobs, with the City still beset by financial concerns.With a shortfall of close to $1 million in last year’s Budget, there had been allusions in City meetings of possible cutbacks on staff spending, or even staff.Staff salaries accounted for more than half the City’s spending last year.In a statement yesterday, Mr Gosling acknowledged that union representation for management was “not the norm, in the private sector or in a municipality”.Mr Gosling said: “This is local government following in the footsteps of national Government, in recognising the important role a union has in representing and protecting executive management and senior management staff, while creating an environment that has a positive impact on morale, security, efficiencies and effectiveness within the workplace.”The agreement was settled in just five meetings between City Hall and the BPSU, from November 30 to December 14, 2011 which the Mayor said “must be a record for a maiden agreement”.Mr Gosling commended both sides for being “fair, flexible and focused”.The Mayor added: “In order to survive economically, we must do things differently. The old ways of negotiating and reaching agreements are no longer appropriate in our changing environment.“Management and unions must work together, side by side. This agreement is a good example of recognising change, determining our surroundings, setting an agreed upon course and moving forward together.”Mr Gosling also commended the Code of Conduct signed by City Board members upon taking office, which he said puts the Board at a remove from the City’s day-to-day operations and protects staff from interference.He said both the Code and the City’s employee handbook had been embraced by the BPSU, and elements of both had been applied in the new collective bargaining agreement.Calling himself “extremely pleased” with the agreement, BPSU general secretary Ed Ball said the negotiations were “truly a first for the City of Hamilton, and the standard by which all our future negotiations will be measured”.BPSU President Kevin Grant said: “The BPSU is extremely familiar with representing workers at all management levels, as all workers should have the benefit of representation.”Mr Grant agreed that “in these economic times, we need to do things differently”.