More industrial could be on the cards in a battle over labour laws, it was revealed last night.

The news came after union leaders met last night to discuss the possibility of more disruption next week.

Chris Furbert, the BIU president, said afterwards that an announcement on any further action would be “forthcoming”, although no indication of the union’s plans was announced by press time last night.

But a union source who attended the meeting said that continued action on a one-day-a-week basis was being considered.

BIU members were expected to return to work today after two days of disruption that saw bus service staff and others down tools, as well as marches in protest at the controversial legislation.

The dispute involved a part of new trade union legislation that allows non-unionised members of a bargaining unit represented by a trade union to take part in a vote to no longer be represented by the union – called decertification.

Non-unionised employees in a bargaining unit pay half the cost of dues to the union as a service fee and half to the charity of their choice.

The BIU argued that only union members who pay their full dues to the union should be allowed to vote on decertification.

But the Government refused to change the law and highlighted that the same legislation had been in place for decades.

Ministers said that all workers, not just union members, should have the right to choose how they were represented.

Walter Roban, the acting Premier, said on Monday the position was ‘non-negotiable”.

Yesterday’s protest began with a speech from Mr Furbert in front of several hundred workers at the BIU’s headquarters on Union Square in Hamilton.

Mr Furbert repeated warnings from Monday that the Progressive Labour Party government risked being turned out of office.

He said: “If you had a dog for ten years and then, one day, after ten years, that dog turned around and bit you, my advice would be to get rid of that dog.”

Mr Furbert said the BIU would be prepared to negotiate if Jason Hayward, the labour minister, apologised for not informing the union as promised that he was tabling the legislation last December.

He added that if Mr Hayward apologised and if the Government indicated it would “act in good faith” and be open to compromise, the BIU would discuss amendments,

But Mr Furbert warned the relationship between the Government and the BIU could not be repaired unless an apology was made.

Derrick Burgess, a PLP MP and former BIU president and Zane DeSilva, a former PLP minister, were among the crowds at the BIU yesterday.

Mr DeSilva, a Government backbencher, said he was there to show his support for the BIU and in a “number of other capacities” which declined to specify.

He also refused to comment when asked if any Government MPs who supported the union had tried to broker a peace deal.

Mr Furbert earlier claimed that “four or five” Government MPs had backed the BIU but did not name them.

Several members of the Bermuda Fire Service, which has its own union, also showed up for the protest.

They said they were there in a personal capacity and were not members of the BIU.

The fire service personnel added they had informed their managers that they wanted to attend the protest to show support for a sister union and had been given the go-ahead.

Mr Furbert led the march to the Cabinet grounds but, after being told that the regular Cabinet meeting was not being held there, members marched back to Union Square.

Mr Furbert at first accused the Cabinet of “hiding”.

He said: “They had to face us yesterday – they didn’t have a choice because we were there waiting for them.”

He later accepted it was possible that Cabinet had not met because it was still on a summer break.

Mr Furbert said the union was in a “Mexican stand-off” with the Government.

He added: “They want to talk to us, but on their terms.

“It is incumbent on the Government and the BIU to sit down and resolve this issue.

“It can’t be that Government has it all one way – there has to be a mutual solution.

“What’s happening right now is Government is saying it has to be all their way – they are in control and they are in charge because they’re the government.

“If that doesn’t sound like some sort of dictatorship, then I’ve got it wrong.”

Mr Furbert told the Government: “You are trying to dictate all the terms. It’s like a big bully.

“This is your base that you’re meant to be protecting. Are you really sure you want to hang your hat on this piece of legislation?”

He added: “It is time for them to recognise that we have an issue here and be man enough to come to the table and let’s have some dialogue.”

David Burt, the Premier, has been away in recent weeks and left Walter Roban, the acting Premier, to handle the dispute.

It is understood that Mr Burt is now back in Bermuda, but it is not known when he returned.

Last night a Government spokeswoman said: ““Premier Burt will return to the office tomorrow.

“As the Premier stated in his August 20 letter to the BIU president, the decertification provisions in the law are the same as they have been since the May of 2000 when brought into force under the first PLP government.

“All other sections of the law strengthen the hands of workers and unions, so the claims of the Government not representing workers and unions are 100 per cent false.

“The BIU has supported the PLP in every election since, and given the laws on decertification today are the same as they were in 2003, 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2020 it would make no logical sense for the BIU to withdraw support from the PLP over this issue.”

Mr Furbert has maintained that the union opposed the rule when it was introduced by the UBP government in 1998, and that the recent overhaul of labour legislation was an opportunity for the PLP government to right a wrong.