As we told you on Friday, the Minister of Labour signed a statutory instrument making port workers a part of the Essential Services who cannot strike without notice. Well, today the Christian Workers Union came out swinging; it says the new Statutory Instrument is unfair.
The law makes it so that stevedores are required to give 21 days notice before taking any industrial action. Government says this allows for a more productive and peaceful approach to disputes between the stevedores and management. But while the government believes this decision will be more effective in settling grievances, president of the CWU Audrey Matura Shepherd says it undermines their negotiation, and will only further infuriate stevedores and force them to rebel.
A release issued this morning says quote, "once again government has decided to take the side of big people against working Belizeans."
It adds that the Port of Belize has shown utmost bad faith and is now joined by the Government of Belize.
Today at a press conference Shepherd asked the government to reconsider this decision very carefully.
Audrey Matura Shepherd, President - CWU
"I think after consultations with our stevedores and seeking direction, they feel that they have gotten the "royal Christmas bukut" from the government and it is unfortunate that that is the kind of gift that the government has to give to our poorer workers. CWU negotiates for quite a few entities and I must say they stevedores fall in the group with the least benefits, the poorer category and I do nothing to put them down. They just have the less economic power and at the same time they are also the ones who unfortunately a lot of them fall under the category of the less academically qualified."
"So it in unfortunate that they would pick on the seemingly weakest set to pass such a legislation and to do it without consultation, without advise, without even asking a meeting and to hear then that Mr. Tux Vasquez from Port of Belize boast that the Chamber of Commerce had already requested such a legislation. If the government did that move, because they to bring about balance, just send something else and all the positive things - it's very simple what they have to do. 1) They have to learn and understand why since 2004, long before my time, Port of Belize has frustrated every attempt by the union to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the stevedores. They need to get to the bottom of that. That's one. 2) Port of Belize is in receivership they say and they don't have money, but they refuse to open their books. I can tell you, from working with the issue from BSI/ASR, according to the financials given to cane farmers, 2.4 million dollars in 2015 according to what BSI has issued was paid to the Port of Belize for stevedoring alone. That is just to empty sugar barges. Let Port of Belize show us where that 2.4 million has gone. I can tell you for the whole year stevedores haven't even gotten a million dollars, not even half a million dollars, not even quarter million dollars. What our leaders need to understand is when you put a man against the wall and he have no way out. The only thing he will do is fight back. And I am concern that they will put stevedores in a desperate situation and an unfair situation - very unfair for them. And by passing this legislation making the unloading and uploading - although they didn't say stevedores, we know it's them they are attacking. By putting that in the law, what is so unjust about that is that all the other entities that are essential services, let's look at them; BEL, BTL, Social Security, BWS - when you look at the workers there who give us certain immediate right under the law, because they are essential services - their benefit package is worth it. Never mess with a mad man. A hungry, an angry man and a poor man. At some point they will break. Loyal to everything else will set be put aside - a natural instinct of survival will take over. Trust me. They are not happy."
Today's release adds, quote, "many stevedores remain in disbelief…because 90% of them are solid supporters of the ruling party."
Shepherd said the negotiations on the pension must continue regardless of this legislation and she hopes that a CBA will be finalized by next year.
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