For the past 2 weeks, we've been telling you about the controversy brewing at the Dangriga Branch of the First Caribbean International Bank about the use of the Garifuna language by two employees.
The Garifuna Community has been quick to condemn the bank, declaring it a violation of their constitutional right and an affront to their indigenous rights.
Bank Employee Uwahnie Martinez, who had been working at the Dangriga branch for 14 years, resigned last week, and took a complaint to her union, the Christian Workers Union, to challenge the management's complete refusal and denial that any restriction on the Garifuna language had been issued. With all the negative attention that the bank had been receiving, corporate managers in Barbados started taking notice.
And so, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, (CIBC), which manages all First Caribbean Bank Branches, sent one of its senior staff members, Ella Hoyos, the Human Resources Managing Director, to investigate the allegations. She arrived in the country on Sunday Afternoon, and during the course of her stay, she has met with the Dangriga Staff individually and then collectively to get first-hand accounts of the working environment on the ground. She also met with members of the Garifuna Community in Dangriga to mend fences and move forward. Finally, she met with Uwahnie Martinez and CWU President, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, to deal with Martinez's allegation, and to iron out the terms of her departure from the country.
That happened today at the Bank's Belize City branch, and after 2 hours, Martinez and Matura-Shepherd emerged, and spoke with the media about the progress made in that meeting. Here's what they told us:
Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"We are glad that we had the meeting. I don't think we resolved everything, but we resolved certain things. I think the most important parts are that we clarified when was the departure date for our member. She never asks to leave early, she always knew she has to give the legal notice, however we were informed that she can leave effective today and doesn't lose any of her benefits. The bank believes that the matter has become very tense or contentious, whatever word they want to use and so Ms. Uwahnie Martinez has effectively released from her job today. We have some pending issues that we want to resolve which is the performance review that we are not satisfied with. We heard their take on the issue of the language. We believe that on the issue of the language the way Ms. Ella Hoyos explains it would seem reasonable. But what is actually put into practice is a different issue. However the bank says that they are going to develop a written policy on the speaking of other language in the bank hall as they would call it and that we would be involved in that process."
Reporter
"Has the bank acknowledged that a directive was given about the language issue?"
Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"No they haven't. They make it seem as though it is just common courtesy as to what happened. Our member stands by her statement that she was asked not to speak her language in the bank. They try to make it look as though oh its more about shouting and discourteousness, its beyond that because what are you saying, that our member is always shouting across the hall at the bank - if that's the case then a lot of Belizeans shouldn't go into any of the banks because Belizeans like to walk in and give a loud shout."
Uwahnie Martinez, Former Employee, CIBC First Caribbean Bank
"The bank itself has a lot of issues to resolve and I am hoping at the end of the day that for the employees' sake that remains that they practice fair game."
Reporter
"Can you explain your understanding of the policy regarding the speaking of Garifuna, what you understand it to be and when did you observe there to be a change in terms of your freedom to speak in Garifuna?"
Uwahnie Martinez
"There was never a written policy, however you can see it from the demeanor of the manager who is in Dangriga, her dislike to us speaking the language. I am a proud Garifuna I'll always be a proud Garifuna. Having been told that English is the only language to be spoken in the banking hall when for the last 14 years we've been greeting customers in our native Garifuna language there in Dangriga in the bank - I think it's just discriminatory and not only that, the manager herself is over reaching wanting control over all aspect of our behavior."
Ella Hoyos, the Representative from Barbados, also exited the bank some 15 minutes later; she was on her way to the airport to leave the country. She did take some time to address all the concerns raised by the Garifuna Community, and to discuss how the bank will seek to restore their relationship with those customers. She told us that the bank's management is saddened that the situation has deteriorated to this point:
Ella Hoyos, Managing Director, Human Resources, CIBC
"We are very saddened by it because as I said before we've always enjoyed a very cordial and positive relationship with the Garifuna people. We hope that we can rebuild back, I think that there are members of that community who know us well and know that we do not tolerate discrimination, that we would never do anything deliberately to offend them and that even of a mistake were made and I am not saying one was made, that the bank would treat it seriously and address it. To be clear, it is never the intention of our bank to do anything that could be considered disrespectful or to not honor the multi-cultural community which is Belize and in which we have always operated."
Reporter
"Would you concede that the bank prohibited Ms. Martinez on speaking Garifuna inside the bank?"
Ella Hoyos, Managing Director, Human Resources, CIBC
"That is not my understanding of what happened. We conduct our banking business in a professional environment and we encourage all our staff to treat with all matters in a professional way within the professional environment. It doesn't matter if they are speaking English, French, Spanish, creole, Garifuna - it doesn't matter, as long as you are professional within the professional environment."
Hoyos told us that she could not address any of the issues related to the findings of her investigation because it is at the preliminary stages, and because the management does not address HR matters in the public domain.
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