BIU: Dock Worker Reinstated Following Agreement on Docks Dispute in October

The dock worker dismissed from his management job at the Hamilton Docks, for an undisclosed reason back in October, has been reinstated in a lower position.

Following an agreement with the Bermuda Industrial Union, former assistant Superintendent Antoine Tacklyn will be moved to a more junior holdman position.

The decision, made two weeks ago, came after a preliminary arbitration hearing.

BIU President Christ Furbert also apologised on behalf of members of the Port Workers Division.

“The Port Workers Division accepts the fact that this situation could have been handled completely different before they decided to down tools,” said Mr Furbert.

“So they apoligise for that action.”

Workers offloaded essential items before they downed tools in October, but left non-essential cargo on board.

Members of the division also suspended overtime on April 5. The ban was lifted last Friday.

It was also noted that as a manager at the time of his dismissal, Mr Tacklyn fell outside the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

But his colleagues argued that he had worked among the ranks for some 25 years before his promotion.

“The workers felt that the termination was unfair,” said Mr Furbert.

“Recognising that there had been some shortcomings” in Mr Tankard “fulfilling his management responsibilities”, Mr Furbert said that was the main reason “why the workers never asked for him to be reinstated as a manager”.

Instead, they asked for him to be reinstated in a Junior position, which the union said was vacant at the time. But that never materialised.

But in hindsight, Mr Furbert conceded that the port workers recognised that management should have been given notice before they downed tools.

As a result, he said the workers have undertaken “to give management at least three days to find a solution before taking any kind of industrial action”.

And Mr Tacklyn is expected to return to work shortly in another position.

Meanwhile, according to Port Workers Division Vice President, Tracy Bean said the backlog of cargo on the docks should be dealt with “by the end of the week”.