that takes away gratuities earlier granted to workers.

"It was a horrible decision,'' BIU president Mr. Ottiwell Simmons MP said yesterday. "A flip-flop decision is what it amounts to.'' The union has called a meeting for all hotel workers at 3 p.m. next Tuesday, Mr. Simmons said. "The matter just does not look good for the workers in this country.'' But Hotel Employers of Bermuda executive officer Mr. John Harvey said the award simply reaffirmed the original contract award by Prof. Ronald Haughton.

From the HEB's perspective, there was now no reason why the contract for the years 1991 to 1994 could not be signed, Mr. Harvey said.

The decision of the Essential Industries Disputes Board, which had not been made public by Government yesterday, overturned an earlier special ruling by the same board which said members of the HEB had to pay its workers higher gratuity rates in 1992.

Release of the latest award has been delayed by a minority report one of the board members wrote, Labour and Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman said. It is understood the report was written by the Rev. Canon James Francis.

A dispute over the wording of Prof. Haughton's January 14 award blocked the signing of a four-year contract.

Among other clauses, the award said that increases in gratuities were to "come into effect for each of the remaining two years'' of the 1991-94 contract.

In April, the Board considered a BIU request that the settlement should have extended gratuities increases to 1992.

The Board subsequently acknowledged the award's wording contained "an ambiguity ... which must be resolved.'' It decided that the tips increases -- 25 cents a worker a day -- did apply to 1992. But the matter was later referred to the board again.