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Jules Vasquez
"Some in the labour movement or should say Audrey Matura-Shepherd has indicated that your abstention at the Senate meeting on the Petrocaribe Loans Bill was dubious/shady?"

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"She will be coming out of the meeting in a short while."

Jules Vasquez
"Was that sentiment voiced in there?"

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"No. I am saying that when she comes out, then you will have a good opportunity to really have a discussion with her on that."

Jules Vasquez
"Was your abstention the product of a union consensus position or is it your position?"

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"When the president comes out of the meeting, that's the purpose of what he is going to be talking to you and explaining everything to you. I would not be in a position right now to discuss with you how and what the meeting is...."

Jules Vasquez
"I am asking you about the Senate meeting. If the position you took at the Senate meeting, was the position of a union consensus or was it your personal position?"

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"There is no personal anything when I go into the Senate. I am there representing trade unionists."

Jules Vasquez
"So, you took an advised position?"

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"That part of it... that's the area that I think the president is going to be speaking to you all with."

Jules Vasquez
"Is there disharmoney ranker in that meeting right now? We saw brother Luke leave in a rush and we see you leaving."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"No. There is no ranker. What happen is that I have done my part, so I have to leave the trade union congress now to have the remainder of their meeting, so that they can do what type of deliberation and extension that's needed. That's a different level. I am not a member of.....I am their Senator."

Reporter
"A deliberation as to whether you are kept on as their Senator."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"I don't know how to explain this to you all. The president is going to come out of the meeting and he is going to be briefing you with everything regarding this. So, you are asking me - you are fishing for an answer that I cannot give."

Reporter
"Sir, why did you abstain from the vote?"

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"Now you are asking the same question that I already answered Jules."

Reporter
"But you must have your reason."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"Now you are starting the same thing again."

Reporter
"But you are not answering. You must have a reason why is it that you abstain from voting."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"That's right, so, you are going to get it there my brother. That's what I am saying to you. You are trying to illicit something from me that I am not going to give you."

Reporter
"You have mentioned that you have done your part when it comes to the Senate meeting. I am saying, in fact you haven't done your part, you didn't do anything."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"And what am I supposed to say to you now?"

Reporter
"The reason for."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"No. That's going to come there my brother. You are not understanding that I am telling you that you are going to get your information there. So, the drilling here my friend, what do you expect you are going to get from me that I don't want to give you?"

Reporter
"Honesty."

Hon. Ray Davis, Senator - Labour
"No. It's going to come there. That's why I went there, to put honesty there."

And so when the general council meeting was finished at 9:15 pm - we did get to speak to the NUTCB chairman to find out what was the honest account that Ray Davis gave them. Marvin Mora told the media that Davis had his own reasons to abstain - but that he should have voted no:

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"Taking a position of abstention could mean several things. However, clearly he did not vote in favor of it and we had already discuss that internally - we have addressed that with him. He had his own reasons that he gave to the congress. The congress is still looking at that issue. However, we are clear that we do not support that bill. We wouldn't have supported that bill."

Jules Vasquez
"So then, did Senator Davis act incorrectly or without the mandate of the unions when he abstain?"

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"It is not an issue of whether he acted incorrectly or without the mandate of the union. I think it's an issue of concept that he took it upon himself to address it in the manner that he have gave it thought. It is definitely something that the unions wouldn't have supported - his position taking an abstention. We would have supported a position that he voted no for it."

Jules Vasquez
"Will you all be seeking to replace Ray Davis as senator?"

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"There has been indication by some members that they would need to rethink his position. But we are not at that point yet, because whatever happens to Mr. Ray Davis as the Senator for the unions, has to come from the general council, but it has to also come from each union, indicating through their membership - are they satisfied or not satisfied with the representation they get from him. That said, it doesn't mean that we do not appreciate the service he has given. At today's meeting, it was made clear that everyone was disappointed with the way he chose to conduct himself on the final vote. Whatever steps we take, some of them will be internal and at the same time we will not tear down our brother publicly, even if that's what the media want."

Jules Vasquez
"Okay, but he said outside and we ask him very specifically 'when you voted, when you abstain, did you act personally or did you act with the consensus and mandate of the union?' he said he never act personally when he is on that stage. So, then we take that to mean that maybe he misinterpreted the consensus, or maybe the consensus position has changed. Are either of those the case sir, madam?"

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"It's unfortunate that he would say that and him having said that. Let me tell you clearly, he never got the consensus from this body or any individual with authority in this body to act as he did. We told him that. Some of us were very forceful with the level of disappointment. So, we cannot answer for what he told you out there. Clearly, that is his position, but that's not the position of this meeting that we just held. We have everybody here and if I mis-speak, they can clarify it."

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"We did not have enough time to come together to give him a clear direction. This is how we want you to vote. We want you to vote no."

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"If you wanted us to say we gave him a call and clear cut and told him you have to vote no. That never happened. On hindsight, maybe that's what he needed. But we don't spoon feed him."

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"Brother Ray Davis, in hindsight, could have acted better. If that's what you want us to say. He could have acted better. But he acted with the information that he had at that point in time when he was there. Now, in regards to what would have happen if he would have violated a clear directive from the NTUCB - that would be a different story and that's the reason why it is something that has to be debated internally and it has to go to the membership."

And so while Davis's fate will be decided by the general membership - how will the union respond to the Petrocaribe Loans Act? Mora and Matura-Shepherd kept their cards close to their chests:..

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"We are looking at different possibilities, different ways that we can tackle this particular issue. However, we don't want to expose all the things that we plan to do and that we want to do and we should do. What we want to do is to continue the planning stages and decide how we are going to proceed on a go forward basis, but with the majority consensus always."

Jules Vasquez
"Will you all be seeking to have a discourse with government or will you all be seeking a course of direct action?"

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"I believe that, again Jules, those are things that we still have to go deeper into, so that we basically cross all our T's and dot our I's, because this is a bill of very much significance."

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President - CWU
"We do have a plan of what we want to do, but we will not reveal it to the press. It will be revealed at the right time. We will go to our membership first, because it entails us going back to the people who we will call out and mobilize. So, they must have a say. Us saying that, in no way means that we don't know what we want to do. Because this kind of action in no way means that the union will sit by. This is just the beginning of the work. Our long term goal would be for every Belizean to support the fact that it should be repeal."

And on Belizean with whom the union may find common cause is Michael Ashcroft. He has a long list of legislation passed by the Barrow Administration, which he opposed - and now the unions are in the same boat. And those are the same unions he's been begging to meet with him for over a month. So will the date between labour and capital ever happen? Mora says they are communicating but nothing is settled:..

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"We are still going to deal with that internally, because the union believe that we must give respect to a process that we started of communication with them, but one that is satisfied and concluded, the union will definitely get back to the media and tell you what the decision on that particular issue was."

And while we wait on that decision, the Unions have already decided to rally on Labour Day. Last year they did the same, but the event was a bust, less than 50 persons attended. Mora says this year they plan to go much bigger.

Marvin Mora, President - NTUCB
"The NTUC is organization an event - a rally and we will give the media more details as we put it together. But want to do something larger."

The NTUCB press conference finished at 9:35 pm.