By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter, kdl@nasgaurd.com

Labor and Social Development Minister Dion Foulkes was locked in an all-day meeting with the Bahamas Industrial Manufacturers and Allied Workers Union (BIMAWU) executives yesterday in Inagua in a bid to broker an agreement with the labor organization that would have allowed workers at Morton Bahamas to return to their normal duties.

But up to press time last night, no decision had been made on whether the union would have called off its strike against the salt company which has crippled its normal operations since last Friday.

The current impasse is a result of the company's decision to fire Ken Rolle, a master electrician and vice president of BIMAWU, for allegedly illegally restoring electricity to a residence on the island. The company provides electricity for Inagua.

In addition to the sacking of Rolle, the union said it also faces other problems with the company regarding vacation pay, back pay, and other matters.

It is understood that Foulkes also met with Morton Salt executives from Chicago, Illinois, its resident General Manager Glenn Bannister and the company's attorney Oscar Johnson Jr. The outcome of that meeting has not been disclosed.

The ongoing dispute at Morton Bahamas comes at a busy period for the Inagua company. A ship was expecting 40,000 tons of salt on Saturday. Reportedly, Morton harvests approximately 7,000 tons of salt every day.

Foulkes is encouraging all parties to be a part of the established process to resolve disputes. Last month, the minister referred the dispute to the Industrial Tribunal to interpose in the matter. He is urging both sides to exercise restraint during this "very delicate period of negotiations."

But the union is of the opinion that the Tribunal has no cohesive power to order or enforce its own judgment.

Morton employs more than 60 percent of the island's working population. Up to press time last night, The Guardian was unsuccessful in ascertaining how much money the company has lost since the strike began.

The industrial action comes as the company struggles to meet its annual quota of producing 1.2 million tons of salt.