Industrial action has caused “significant disruption” to the operations of Bermuda Gas, the company said today.

A spokesman said that the action, which started late last month, had gone on longer than anticipated.

He added that, as a result, the company had been unable to fulfil customers’ bulk orders or deliver and refill propane cylinders.

The spokesman said: “We hoped the matter would be resolved by now, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

“It is unfortunate that our union partner has chosen to impact daily operations of an essential service during the holiday season.

“Although the actions are being framed as a ‘work to rule’, this action against us is, in effect, a ban on contractual overtime and is evolving exponentially into a go-slow, with sporadic occurrences of full work stoppage, which in our opinion is unlawful and unwarranted.”

The Bermuda Gas spokesman said that work was being done to resolve the dispute as quickly as possible.

He added this involved requesting the involvement of the Labour Relations Office to mediate and attempt a resolution.

The spokesman said: “We understand that many families rely on our products to prepare meals and create cherished holiday memories and we are equally aware of the impact this is having on our commercial clients – including hotels, restaurants and laundromats – who have been experiencing disruptions in their ability to fully serve their customers.

“If these businesses are forced to pause operations, even temporarily, it opens up the possibility of affecting the livelihood of employees who depend on these businesses to operate.”

He added: “It is disappointing to see that we are not able to deliver the level of service we are known for at this time.

“We continue to engage with the union and the Labour Relations Office in hopes of reaching a resolution soon.”

The Bermuda Gas spokesman did not specify the cause of the action.