The docks in Hamilton are “unable to function” as all unionised staff have attended a meeting being held by the Bermuda Industrial Union.

The meeting, which started late morning, is to discuss strategy after union leaders ushered the media away from their gathering at St Paul African Methodist Episcopal Centennial Hall discussing the refusal of a work permit renewal for the Reverend Nicholas Tweed.

Out of a total staff of 52 at Stevedoring, 41 have not shown up to work.

Warren Jones, chief executive officer at Polaris Holding Company, for which freight handling company Stevedoring Services is a subsidiary, told The Royal Gazette: “We are not functioning as normal today. As far as we know there is a meeting going on, we don’t have any unionised staff.

“We are almost 100 per cent unionised. We are unable to function without our unionised staff. There is no work, there is no cargo moving.

“There is no boat today; normally persons would be able to pick up cargo. Supermarket produce would have already been removed from the docks. The only thing left on the docks would be unessential goods.”

Asked whether there was a message he would like to get out to the public he said: “I can’t say anything until I know something. All we can do is apologise for the lack of service, that’s all.”

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