Cup Match holiday weekend following a decision by blue collar Government workers to ratify a wage agreement last night.

The standing room-only meeting, held at the Bermuda Industrial Union's headquarters, broke up at about 9.15 p.m.

Workers agreed to a 2.98 percent wage increase for 1997. The offer, which came from Government on Monday, was put forward after unionised Marine and Ports workers last week instituted an overtime ban which resulted in interruptions to the ferry service.

Yesterday bus workers promised a ban on overtime as well if the dispute was not resolved.

Last night BIU president Mr. Derek Burgess said blue collar representatives will be back at the bargaining table in September to hash out an agreement for 1998.

Mediators were called in earlier this month following a brief industrial action by garbage collection workers which affected trash pick-up in Paget and Warwick.

According to BIU first vice president Chris Furbert, the wage controversy dated back to October last year.

At that time the BIU notified the Government that the third year wages for all Government workers, under their collective agreement, were due to be negotiated. "Government, however, did not begin negotiations until January 1997,'' Mr. Furbert pointed out. "The wage agreement expired December 31, 1996, which means there was no decision with respect to wages for this year.'' Workers were unhappy with the slow negotiations and Government divisions decided to exercise their "democratic right''to decline overtime work. The Union's decision means that holiday schedules for buses, ferries and garbage collection will be as normal, and the special Cup Match ferry will run as planned.

The usual summer East est Service from Dockyard to St. George's will extend into the evening with the ferry picking up passengers in St. George's at 8 p.m., dropping them off in Dockyard at approximately 8.30 p.m. On Friday, the Cup Match ferry will leave Dockyard at 7.45 a.m. on and sail directly to St.

George's where it will be tied-up all day, returning to Dockyard at approximately 8.30 p.m.