7 News Belize

BEL Linesmen Standing Down From Call This Weekend
posted (May 4, 2012)
For the past week, the Belize Energy Workers Union has been agitating against management.

And tonight, the news is that the temperature of the dispute has increased - on both sides. First, four workers assigned to the Gas Turbine unit at Mile 8 on the Western Highway have been declared redundant. And second, BEL's management has asked the Labour Commissioner to intervene in the dispute.

It has all the ingredients of an ugly, increasingly bitter standoff and the Belize Energy Workers Union held a press conference today to discuss the new developments. Here's what they said:..

Sean Nicholas, Vice President, BEWU
"The company has invited the union to a meeting. After the union accepted the invitation to the meeting they went ahead and sent the employees letters of redundancy."

Marvin Mora, President BEWU
"The update was that BEL has already acted against the demands. That is the update. BEL has already made well the position of the four guys at the GT. That has got us to this table."

Dale Trujueque, Advisor, "Warlock for workers"
"Just a few minutes before this meeting we have gotten a letter from BEL informing us that they have requested the intervention of the labour commissioner. What that tells me confirms our view that BEL realizes that the time to talk is over."

Marvin Mora, President BEWU
"These are unreasonable people acting unreasonably. I can't say anything more about that."

Dorla Staine - General Secretary - BEWU
"We see where the tempo is building. Today it is 4 workers and on the horizon there may be more because they are doing it in phases. You may be surprise to know that the union going down the road we may hear about other people coming forward."

Marvin Mora, President BEWU
"We realize that all the things we are fighting for the management absolutely have no way that they are going to budge. If they are not going to budge, we as a union cannot continue to deal with a management that has already made up their minds. Unless the company starts to treat the employees as equal partners in this venture and as part of the entire stakeholders, then the union will have no other recourse but to come to the public."

"Ultimately the public is our boss. It's the ultimate boss, the waiting will stop when the workers get enough and the workers are almost there."

"I know that the public may be alarmed when we say industrial action, but it is well within our rights and we have certain processes that we have to go through and exhaust this process to reach to that end."

BEL issued a press release this evening saying that, it "has submitted a request for intervention by the Labor Commissioner in an effort to bring the Union to the table."

The release says that since last week Management has extended two invitations to the union to meet. According to the release, the union has told them it is willing to meet at a neutral location away from the corporate headquarters - but no time, date or venue has been set.

And so, that is where it is tonight: the two sides not talking and the Labour Commissioner being asked to intercede. But, beyond that there is the matter of the Gas Turbine at mile 8. The Union says the workers are needed because that;s the generator that brings back the power in the event of a blackout. BEL's management says it can control it remotely.

The union says it can't - and not having full time staff to operate it - according to the union - puts consumers in a bad position:

Marvin Mora, President BEWU
"The work that these guys did there is very elemental in bringing back the service to the country after a total shutdown. So, they have already proceeded to make redundant these guys even though this is part of our demands. These people (management) are not here to listen to us, they just want to do what they want and the union has to take a stance."

"The GT is one of the most important things in bringing back the power to Belize City and the rest of the country. If the GT cannot function then obviously you guys will be without power for a much longer period of time."

Sean Nicholas, Vice President, BEWU
"The union cannot allow that to consumers. We are a responsible union and we will not act in that fate to the consumer. It's important to have these guys at that spot."

"This is one of the main reasons why the union takes to come to you guys. Until the company could show that they have, and the union had ask the company for that, show their due diligence what you did to the union and the union may agree with you. However the company chooses not to and we feel that consumers, employees and shareholders will be at risk."

And that risk will be elevated this weekend. According to late reports to our newsroom from Union sympathizers, linesmen countrywide who are on call for weekend emergencies will hold back their labour. As we understand it, they have put down their radios and will not be available for work. So in the case of a blackout - BEL would have no one to call to bring the power back up.

That is a very big deal - and while we cannot say that it came officially from the union - we have gotten it from a very reliable source.

The test now will be to see how strong the union's hold on its linesmen is and how many linesmen will actually hold back their labour. Late this evening, a BEL representative told us that regardless of the rumour BEL is prepared to provide the normal level of service to customers.

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