The Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) urged a clamp down on illegal workers after three steel workers were arrested at a Warwick construction site yesterday.

The illegal workers were soon to be deported by the Department of Immigration, BIU President Derrick Burgess revealed at a Press conference at the Union?s headquarters.

Mr. Burgess said the company who hired the illegal trio should have the work permits of every single one of their guest workers pulled.

He estimated that over 100 more foreigners are working illegally in Bermuda and encouraged the public to help in a clampdown by calling an Immigration hotline or the Union.

?I am certain there are many more in this country that are working illegally,? Mr. Burgess said. ?I think probably the most severe thing that can be done is to revoke the work permits for that employer ? all of them.?

The union leader said the law was not very tough on illegal workers.

?There?s a law in place but the penalty is almost like a spank on the wrist with a feather,? he said.

Illegal workers were getting past Immigration at the Airport by entering on a tourist visa and extending them working all the while, he said.

?A lot of this work goes on nights,? he said. ?And sometimes people on work permits work on another job illegally at night. All this is going on.?

Those getting around the work permit laws are most likely staying in friend?s homes, he said.

The Union president said yesterday?s discovery was made after an unemployed Bermudian worker went looking for work at a job site across from a gas station on South Shore Road, Warwick, and saw three steel erectors.

Mr. Burgess said the Bermudian worker then complained to the Union, who placed calls to Immigration.

A couple of hours later the steel workers were arrested for not having work permits, he said.

?They are to leave the Island very shortly,? he said. ?It makes no difference where they are from, they?re illegal.?

However, Mr. Burgess did not know whether the illegal trio were hired by a contractor or the owner of the South Shore Road, Warwick property.

He also did not know if court proceedings would follow shortly.

While inherently dangerous, steel erection is a specialised trade, there are at least four Bermudians ? including the one who complained to BIU ? who could do the job but were out of work, he said.

?With all this building going on these guys should not be out of work. And these folks I?m talking about are very experienced,? he said.

And the three steel workers were not filling a gap in the labour market, he said.

?They?re breaking my laws, you cannot break the laws of a country,? he said.

?That?s the law, you hire us first.?

The construction boom almost makes it easy to get around the law because there are only so many Immigration Inspectors, he said.

?I really don?t care how many Inspectors you have they are only as good as the information they receive,? he added.

?That?s why we want to encourage anyone ? whether they are Bermudians or guest workers working here legally ? to let us know those people here working alongside them that don?t have a work permit, so the appropriate authorities can be informed and those people who work here illegally can be dealt with appropriately.

?I?m sure other Bermudians know that this is going on but they cannot be bothered to tell anyone,? he said. ?It?s like crime, if you give Police information we can do a better job in cutting down the crime.?

The Immigration 24-hour hotline is 296-5202.