A group calling itself the Belize Central Prison Employees correlation is taking on the management of the Kolbe Foundation - the private managers of the Prison. Their central issue is that they claim too many employees are being fired. They have a whole lot of other issues - and made a video documentary out of it. Attorneys for John Woods have written telling them to take down the defamatory video off FACEBOOK.
But they say the issues in the documentary are the same issues they have taken to the NTUCB, the Ombudsman and now to the media. The leaders of the group told us more today:
Herman Blease - Belize Central Prison Employees' Correlation
"Since January of this year, we had close to 30 employees being either terminated or suspended and even as I speak to you this minute, the head of the I.T section is on suspension - has just been suspended from the prison. Again this is a - this speaks to an on-going industrial relationship problem of the prison between the management and the employees. So we're saying since the first of March, we are going to create a movement that will put a stop to this continuing problem at Kolbe. So, we have gone ahead and met with the N.T.U.C.B, we've gone ahead and met with the Ombudsman, and now today, we are here because we have been threatened. The prison has gone ahead a threatened the correlation by issuing instructions through their attorney, that a documentary be removed from the - from Facebook."
Abdul Nunez - Former Prison Officer
"We are not crying foul; we're saying, if you're going to fight, and it's a fight you want, then let's fight fear. But don't intimidate us. We are asking you to unionize your workers at the Kolbe foundation if you have no fear."
Jules Vasquez
"Okay, so the video will remain up on Facebook?"
Herman Blease
"Certainly, unless we are directed otherwise by legal recourse; we intend to leave it there on Facebook to ensure that the public is educated."
Jules Vasquez
"But if persons are wrongfully terminated in the country of Belize, they can go to the labor office, and if they feel it's so wrong, they can take out a civil suit against the former employers."
Herman Blease
"The core of the issue here with the Kolbe Foundation is, when the prison was privatized to the Kolbe Foundation - the Kolbe Foundation - the prison is managed or run by Chapter 1 of the Laws of Belize. In that law of prison management, they are recourses; there are procedures which have to be followed when you are terminating an employee. The Kolbe Foundation has ignored that law that is Chapter 1, 39. What they have done they have replaced that essentially with Chapter 297 the Labor Act, by saying I can terminate you without cause, without giving you a reason."
They are requesting an audience with the PM and claim to represent 200 present and former prison employees.
Email
Print