The Bermuda Public Services Union recently honoured 261 public officers who have worked for the Government for more than ten years.

David Burt, the Premier, thanked the awardees for their collective 4,730 years of service.

Mr Burt said: “78 per cent of what the Government has set out to do is either completed or nearing completion, and the fact is, I get to stand up as a politician to take the credit, but it is the dedicated public officers in the public service that actually do the work.

“Your contributions are not lost on me today. It is important to ensure that we highlight the public servants who are doing the work on a day-to-day basis.

“If no one else says thank you for your service, rest assured that the Government supports and appreciates your service and is pleased to be here today to congratulate those of you who have served for a very long time.”

Derrick Binns, the Head of the Public Service, said: “Each step we take, whether literally or figuratively, gets us closer to our purpose — to enhance the lives of the people of Bermuda.

“On behalf of the Civil Service Executive, these are the senior executives of the Public Service, comprising the Secretary to the Cabinet, Financial Secretary, Permanent Secretaries and myself, I say thank you.

“Thank you for the long hours. Thank you for your hard work.”