7 News Belize

FCIB Staffers Take It To The Street
posted (October 9, 2015)
Early this morning before 8:00, and again this afternoon for the lunch break, employees of the First Caribbean International Bank at the Belize City main branch took to Albert Street for a small protest. According to their Union Representatives, they are frustrated that once again, the negotiations with the Bank's management have once again stalled.

As has been widely reported, First Caribbean is pulling out of Belize, and its 60+ employees will lose their jobs. So, they want their soon-to-be former bosses to grant them an exit package which they believe is fair to all the workers. Both sides are trying to negotiate that, but once again, another issue has gotten in the way of these discussions.

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, the designated spokesperson for the workers told the press that it's because they have announced to the bank that they plan to strike if the negotiations fail. Here's how she put it:

Audrey Matura Shephard, President - CWU
"We sent, under the law, the Essential Service Act, there is a provision section 11 and 15 that says that if you have a dispute you need to write the minister, if you are an essential service. Because you cannot anything, because the law would then mean it would work against you - you can't do industrial action other than how they are using their lunch time. When we met with the bank we told them, we put it on the table we've written the minister. The minister also have the power to intervene before you have to do an industrial action. To date the minister had not responded and has not intervene."

"What happened after that they knew that we had invoked the workers right under the law. They said well we will not talk to you all, we would not negotiate anything unless you move that off the table and that is why we are here where we are today."

Reporter
"Is it practical?"

Audrey Matura Shephard, President - CWU
"It is practical. You have to think now that we couldn't tell them not to sell. We couldn't tell them that they have to review anything, because everything in their transaction is secret. We couldn't tell them that they cannot create a vesting act. We couldn't tell them anything. That was their right under the law. The one right the workers have under the law comes under the Essential Services Act and Essential Services Act says that there are certain industries that are essential and that they cannot take industrial action or not there will be serious penalty against them; banks happened to be one. So if workers here want to protest, they cannot just come out and protest. If they want to strike, they just cannot do it. Everything they have to get permission for. So it is practical that you go and invoke your rights under the law. It is your only shield, but they want the workers to move the one shield they have and they are threatening and they hold us at ransom and said if you don't move that, we are not going to talk to you. That is utmost bad faith. It's like the best example of what bad faith is. Because that's what they've done."

Reporter
"You obviously read the bank statement that the bank sent out and it calls particularly you as the president saying that you made some statement that they made some issue with and they say that you don't have the sense of professionalism and you're saying things that aren't so."

Audrey Matura Shephard, President - CWU
"Well you know I expect the bank to try and single me out, because what has happened, they want to make it seem that they are all for the workers, but they are not revealing all the emails they sent to the workers and possibly threatening and using the influence over the workers. They can say anything they want about me. But think about it, it's just common sense; do you think that workers don't have brains? That they can't think what's right for themselves? These workers know what they want. It's not me who go and tell the workers what they should do. It's the workers who come and tell the union what to do and I alone am n0ot the union. Even if I tell them, you want what you should take the notice, the first question they would say is take the notice. And I say and what shield do we have? What if we have to strike? What is we have to protect and I have to tell them you have nothing to protect yourself."

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