We skip back now to the middle of the meeting, when Barrow took a break to speak with the media. One of the issues he brought up was the UDP's position on the PBL/CWU issue. As you know, the CWU has been demanding that PBL abide by the ruling of the Essential Services Tribunal and begin negotiating the terms of payment that is owed to them.
Barrow likened the matter to that of BSI and Fairtrade, saying that the government intervened in that issue but is silent when it comes to the stevedores.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"That is the position of the UDP that it is not for the CWU and stevedores to pursue a legal remedy when they have a terms of reference that both parties agreed that the tribunal would be the entity that determined this matter in finality. So 30 days after, the Minister of Labor and his ministry should have taken steps to enforce the tribunal. what is the purpose of having a tribunal then, it makes a mockery of governance, it makes a mockery of the ministry, it totally compromises any type of confidence that people, laborers, citizens of Belize have in their government, if the government will set up a procedure, you will submit to the procedure, I guarantee you if it was the other way around, and the stevedores lost that ruling, that the government has proven that they would take whatever steps they need to to enforce. You have two extremes, you have one minister of agriculture usurping powers with the sugar industries regulations that was just passed where he gives himself powers to compel payment to his union who has not been able to reach an agreement with BSI. This idea that BSI is not adhering to Fairtrade rules is not so, they come to an agreement and so they can't benefit from whatever Fairtrade rules because they don't have an agreement, all the other unions, the sugar unions, caneros, have an agreement with BSI and that's why they benefit, so now you have the minister usurping power, giving himself the ability to interfere and tell the investors you don't like it, leave Belize, then on the other spectrum you have the stevedores, and the minister is saying nothing."
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