But the Union threw a curveball at the Port last night when they announced that they had been misled in their years of negotiation under former president Antonio Gonzalez. And because of that the stevedores say they are going back to the start with a completely new proposed collective bargaining agreement. Today we asked the CEO of the Port of Belize how he feels about it. He says it's the first he has heard from the union in 11 months!

Jules Vasquez
"The stevedores say Mr. Gonzalez was misleading them and they have to reset the process. How do you respond to that?"

Arturo "Tux" Vasquez, CEO - Port of Belize Limited
"First of all Jules, I want to tell you that when I saw the press conference yesterday, I was pretty happy to see it, because I can tell you that I have never heard from the Christian Workers Union since Mrs. Matura took over the presidency. So, for me the press conference yesterday was my first update of really what the CWU has done in regards to the Port of Belize and the negotiations. Even though, the consideration I heard is a little troublesome or disappointing in the sense that I understand that they would be talking this thing from the very beginning, which I don't think is necessary at this point. We had already started a negotiation during the previous executive along with a negotiating team and we had accomplished quite a bit. There were only a few things left for us to deal with. So, to hear the union now say that they are rewriting this and they will forget everything, it concerns me. And I am hoping that it doesn't start a confrontation before we can actually get what we had already accomplished completed."

"That then would mean that perhaps our first meeting may be too confrontational because I don't think that we can just start from the very beginning at all. Some things have already been agreed. So, I would assume that if you are taking a new agreement, then maybe what has been agreed would have to be put on hold, I would think."

Jules Vasquez
"What they are saying is the CBA they are working on is actually a hybrid. It goes back to the old ship handlers agreements which were worked out with the shipping agents. Is that something that concerns you, knowing that that arrangement was a very different arrangement?"

Arturo "Tux" Vasquez, CEO - Port of Belize Limited
"It's quite concerning to say that you will be going back that far. I can't even start to think what would be the reason for that. The stevedores know, the negotiating team that was on that, know how much we have accomplished. It's a press conference, maybe it's just comments that were thrown out and hopefully that is not really what is on paper. I would hope that that is not what they are coming with. I would hope that they would want to continue from what has been done over the last two years, because that was a lot of work."

The stevedores say they are still finalizing the collective bargaining agreement in a consultative process with members.