BERMUDA is known for taking an issue out of context, especially one that has political undertones. The most recent example of this is the long sought after quest on behalf of government's blue collar workers by the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) to have the work week reduced to 35 hours from the current 37-1/2 work week.

How this long sought after change for government industrial workers became the centre of a solution for the current crisis involving our youth is anyone's guess. But I am sure that Minister Horton's statement had nothing to do with the current negotiations between Government and its blue collar workers where the issue of a 35-hour work week has become the crux to the final agreement. This in reality is a question of parity with other Government workers who have long enjoyed a 35-hour work week.

Enter the political aspect of this with UBP Member of Parliament and Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards voicing his party's opposition to a 35-hour work week. Mr. Richards once again reveals the great gap in his party's view of Bermuda. I am talking here about his party's lack of an historical perspective. White collar workers or members of the Public Service Union have had a 35 -work week since the 1980s I believe. Under whose government did this come into being? I don't have to answer that question, but this I do know that, as a Government worker and member of the BIU who represents industrial workers in Government, this question of parity in hours of work with other Government workers has long been a bone of contention for BIU Government workers. In fact industrial Government workers used to work a 40 hour week until that was reduced through the process of a former set of contract negotiations. We have now arrived at the point where this issue of parity of hours of work for all Government workers will be settled once and for all.

Government blue collar workers make up perhaps a third of the Government workforce, but I have long considered that we are in many respects Government's step children when it comes to enjoying full rights as Government workers. For example, blue collar workers were late in becoming a part of the Government pension scheme. This is not the general pension scheme for the population, but Government's own pension for its workers. As a result of being latecomers so to speak, some of us will not receive a pension commensurate with our years of service. There are only a few of us who fall in this category, but it is an injustice all the same.

We are not treated equally as Government workers. Unfortunately there exists a divide between blue collar and white collar workers and this was brought home to me when a friend of mine took me to her Government awards night - which was for white collar workers only. Workers were awarded for their years of service. I could have taken offense as I observed that some of the employees who received awards for their years of service had less time of service than I, and I know this holds true for many of my blue collar colleagues. We are not recognised in this way by the Government for our service.

The issue of work hour parity with other Government workers is in fact just one issue that has been long overdue in being solved. I wonder if all the hullabaloo over the question of a 35-hour work week was all that justified? As I pointed out, the issue really involved the current Government-BIU negotiations for a new blue collar workers agreement when the issue of a 35-hour work week has been a long outstanding issue. I doubt very much, no matter what the Minister stated in his speech, that we will see this Government bringing forth legislation that will legally mandate the introduction of a 35-hour work week for Bermuda's working population across the board.

It's not that we have not seen a change in Bermuda's hours of work in the past. Bermudians used to work six and a half days a week with Thursdays being a half day. Older Bermudians will remember that Thursday afternoons was the time when all the weddings took place and there were many sporting events that also used to take place. A so-called Saturday and Sunday weekend off was unknown for most of us who had to work on a Saturday.

Cup Match did not start out as a two-day holiday given to the people of Bermuda by a benevolent Government. The Government of the day was compelled to accept the two-day holiday by the people who voted with their feet, either going to Somerset or St. George's, depending where Cup Match was going to be played that year. Bermudians just did not turn up to work on the second day of Cup Match and thus the Government was left with no choice but to accept the will of the people.

As a Government blue collar worker I am looking forward to reaching parity with other Government workers who already enjoy a 35-hour work week. And if a worker decides to spend more time with their children or spend more time on themselves, that would be their personal choice.