7 News Belize

Stevedores Threaten Industrial Action
posted (December 6, 2012)
Since March of this year, the Christian Workers Union and the Waterfront Workers have been in negotiations with the receivership management of the Port of Belize.

They're trying to hammer out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement - and it's been slow going. Some forward progress has been realized, but today they made two steps back.

In a meeting at the Port of Belize, they were discussing three things: reducing the size of the work gangs, reducing the number of hours of work for work gangs, and a retirement package. But, the Stevedores say the port management took one of those items off the table.

That's when the CWU walked away from the table. President of the Union Antonio Gonzalez told us why they felt they had no choice:..

Antonio Gonzalez, CWU President
"We left the meeting in an abrupt way."

Jules Vasquez
"It sounds like the meeting was broken up."

Antonio Gonzalez, CWU President
"It didn't break up but we didn't leave in a contented position."

Jules Vasquez
"No resolution?"

Antonio Gonzalez, CWU President
"No resolution, so we intended to go back to the table. We have three issues; retirement package, the gang situation and the hours of work. It appears that they want to dismember the hours of work from these three other issues. The three of them has to go hand-in-hand. Right now they moved from 15 hours to 18 hours - that is their proposal. We are saying no, let us negotiate this and see if we can improve on that. This evening when we put out those feelers and those new issues that we mentioned earlier - they are trying to get our confirmation. Let us agree to the hours of work; if we let go the hours then that means that we only have two other issues - three goes together."

Deon "Ras" Pitta, Stevedore Negotiator
"We cannot be mad with whatsoever Port puts whether it's to cut the gang. What we have to do is to challenge that because we cannot get vex with whatever they put; we just need to challenge it. We want - they want, but their game is that they don't want to give up. We see bigger things that we know we can benefit from. If they want to cut the hours or if they want to cut the gang then we want something too. They can't put a proposal and expect that we should show you where to cut the gang. It's not us that need to do that, it's them to put that package to us and then we challenge them. That is not our job to do if they want to cut the gang and they want us to give them a proposal about how to cut the gang - that doesn't work like that."

Winfield "Mannah" Dennison, Stevedore Negotiator
"What I believe is that the management wants to have their own way. They want to listen to the workers; they don't want to listen to the management. The management doesn't want to listen to anybody; they just want to do what they say. We told them to give us and then we will get - what they give us they will get. But they don't want, they want to dictate. They only want but they don't want to give. Let us negotiate fairly, we could work with whatever they want but we want to know what we will get for it."

Antonio Gonzalez, CWU President
"We are very disappointed about the process - about the frustration and our brother here Pitta said it that at most meetings we have the absence of Mr. Vasquez. We can only speak and explain our position and then we have to wait for the next meeting. Maybe the next meeting comes again Mr. Vasquez is not around, so what will we do. The process is prolonged, it has been too long and we want to move on. All we want is that document; the collective bargain agreement to be put in place, the terms and conditions are spell out and these people are protected under that CBA."

Deon "Ras" Pitta, Stevedore Negotiator
"I am not frustrated any at all. I love how everything is going because I have patience; I have a lot of that. I am not frustrated but I am serious with what we want and I am willing to give but I want too. Everything irie with me."

Jules Vasquez
"If I were a cynical person I would say "sugar ship soon come, you all are acting up again because you all know....""

Antonio Gonzalez, CWU President
"You are throwing stones to us and we will answer it; what we are saying is this, anything is possible at this stage and as a union, once we get the support of the stevedores - we will not say what will happen because we don't usually say it over the media but there is a possibility that there could be industrial action. We don't want to have it, but if it's necessary..... "

And while the sabers are rattling, both sides meet again next Thursday.

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