A Collective Bargaining Agreement: that is what the stevedores at the Port of Belize have been rallying for over a decade. And similarly, The Christian Workers Union and the port management have been in negotiations for years to try and finalize a new CBA. But negotiations have fallen through several times and this morning Sheppard and the stevedores held a press conference at the CWU Secretariat to express their discontent about this situation:
Audrey Matura-Sheppard, President, CWU
"In 2012, they reached an impasse and they could not proceed, so all that is in place right now for stevedores working at the port are 2 memorandums of understanding, a framework agreement and 2 addendums to that framework agreement. What it have done is piece-meal address issues for the stevedores, but never holistically. Under proper industrial relations what any union representing workers should do is to try and have one document which is what we called the collective bargaining agreement. Under that one document what we seek to do is address some simple things as to what would be your work uniform if any, or major things as to what happens in the event that you die on the job or when you retire. Unfortunately because the previous CBA that was under the port when it was owned by government, because that didn't carry over to this present owners of the port, the stevedores for 11 years have been left in limbo and a lot of people don't understand that. So when the stevedores protest, or act up or show their discontent, some people have a negative reaction. But they don't understand that it is because of 11 years of not having something."
Guy Neal, Stevedore
"We are very important people to our community and we want people to understand. We are here to support whatever situation of our union and to make sure that we hold a good relationship with port."
Alrid Fuller, Union Representative, Stevedore
"We want the best for our workers at all times. We have a dangerous job that we are doing. And port doesn't acknowledge that the job dangerous. They just sit in their office. We go out there and do the hard work, they get their money and we get the crumbs. We are not watching their pay, but anybody gets hurt, it's my responsibility to take them to the hospital and make sure their doctor papers are well in order, so that they could get their days off and their little money."
Brendel Munnings, Stevedore
"During the years of service we had meals that was delivered to us and was cooked. Because for 14 hours we go out there every day with pack bread, chicken sausage, potted meat - this is how we live out there and we don't sleep on bed out there, like what people think. We have to use cardboard."
Dion Pitter, Head of Advisory Team
"Our work is a part of the economy of this whole country. We bring in your food, your clothes, everything. You have to understand at this point where we are. We really need our CBA. If we even have to go to the point of shutting down the work for port to come to the table between us and them, we will do it."
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