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BML workers spread rage and…garbage in front of City Hall
posted (August 4, 2014)
And later on we'll tell you about another murder - this one of an 18 year old male in Orange Walk, but first to the story of the day: BML workers throwing bags of garbage on the street in front of City Hall.

First, the background: last week we told you about the evolving crisis the Belize City Council has been facing with Belize Maintenance Limited. We say crisis because the city owes BML the equivalent of 19 weeks of arrears. The city says it will not renew the contract when it expires in January 2015. That's the future, but in the here and now, BML's workers say that the city's "haad pay" tactics are causing them to lose their jobs. This morning that led to some dramatic scenery on the city streets. 7 news was there.

Robin Schaffer reporting
This was the scene this morning in front of City hall as around 50 angry BML workers dumped bags of garbage in front of the building.

They left filth strewn across North Front Street as their show of protest forcing the closure of this major thoroughfare, and forcing the diversion of during the regular morning rush.

That dramatic and defiant demonstration was the culmination of a street side press conference which started in front of BML's office on Baymen Avenue at about 9 this morning.

That is where the workers vented on Mayor Darrel Bradley. They said they are losing their jobs because he hasn't paid their employer in 19 weeks.

Delroy Herrera- organizer
"This is what the workers from BML gave me. They say this is their breakfast in the morning because the money that they have they had to leave it at home for children because they come out at 6 in the morning - it's a shame."

Sanitation Worker, BML
"We can't go home and tell our children that we don't have anything to give them to eat. every day we wake up we have to wonder what we will give our children to eat. When we don't have it they cry. What the mayor wants us to do, go thief, go rob people, go burn down some house- what does he wants us to do? Come on, we are taking lick out here. Watch what I am eating; biscuit and sausage. I can't even get water to wash down the biscuit. The biscuit is choking me."

After half hour, they loaded up into waiting buses for a ride to City Hall where they planned to take direct action.

Sanitation Worker, BML
"Majority of us are single parent. Without this job what will become of us? We will have to end off stealing, we have to end off robbing and kill which is not fair."

Delroy Herrera- organizer
"Why should we happy? Let me tell you something that needs to happen; the mayor needs to come to the table and negotiate with these people. You can't say you owe me and don't tell me when you will pay me and why you cannot pay me. Come to the people here - tell me Mr. Mayor because I know you know."

Sanitation worker, BML
"We know our jobs are in jeopardy, but we need to eat and we need to work. The mayor is just a greedy dog."

Sanitation worker, BML
"We are tired of eating chicken ramen and chicken parts. We are tired of eating everything. We want back our job."

One vocal sympathizer is Ras Pitter, a stevedore who finds common cause with these workers.

Ras Pitter
"I am in full support of BML workers. These people are foundation. These are people before this mayor and before a lot of mayors. They are from original City Council days and through the privatization they remain, so I am full support. The mayor is human being just like all these people out here. Have a little conscience rasta, have some conscience towards these people here and sit down with these people and reason out. Have that and don't act arrogant my brother. All of us in the same age range. Let us deal with one another like a man mayor. I am in full support for you to pay attention to these people here."

But while Pitter supported them; the police did not. The protest had no permit, and the police seemed to have no advance intelligence of the protest, so they appeared to have been caught unprepared and stood by as the street cleaners made a mess on the street. Eventually, Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster took charge.

Edward Broaster - Senior Superintendent
"What you all are doing here is an illegal gathering here and you all are littering the street. Just because you all are fighting for your rights means that you will break the law doing so."

Crowd
"We are not breaking the law."

Edward Broaster - Senior Superintendent
"You all are breaking the law. You all are doing an illegal gathering and littering the street, so I am asking you all to pick up this garbage and disperse."

When the batons were brought out, the street cleaners left, leaving the garbage behind.

But the police, anticipating this, set up their own dramatic road block on Queen Street, intercepting the vehicles and arresting 45 protesters.

Delroy Herrera- organizer
"I've explain to the workers that we do not want them to get hurt so we will disperse, but we are leaving the garbage. We will disperse and we will come back tomorrow with the proper permit."

Mitchell Danderson - Operations Manager
"I'll be very honest with you. We are not law breakers, if it takes us to go get a permit every single day that is what we are going to do. That is what we are prepared to do because we don't want what happen here today happens again."

Reporter
"But why didn't you do that for today?"

Mitchell Danderson- Operations Manager
"It was a spur moment thing, you understand. The people are fighting for their money, they are frustrated."

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