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So today the stevedores called a membership meeting. Jomarie Lanza was there and found that they are fixing for a fight:

Stevedore
"Come see we and deal with we that's it that's how we are taking it. We won't block anywhere we will do it small if we need to do anything we will tell you how we will do it smartly. We can show up to work, hook up a container, right now madam president this is how we need to deal with this because we might not get this crowd again we could show up to work hook up a container and stay right there on the pier and make them decide when they will come deal with us. Bredrin this is the stand we need to make I'm telling you straight and plain."

That's the hardline sentiment coming out of a meeting of the stevedores at Rodgers Stadium this morning. They are in crisis mode, after their president called a members meeting to discuss current matters at the state owned Port of Belize. CWU President Lenora Flowers outlined their grievance:

Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"Today we are meeting with our members from the port of Belize, our union to find out and get directive as to what they want us to do. you may know that last week from 15 February. We got a proposal from the interim board at the port. Needless to say our members are not at all please with what was returned to us. It is just a regurgitation of what was given when the port was under the previous management, and we did not expect the government to do this, so today we are getting directive from our members where this is going."

"I am even ashamed to see what is in that first proposal. It is disgusting. It is unconscionable. It is just a frustrating bunch of you know what. This has come to the team before in 2020 and it was completely rejected what they proposed to do again as I stand here I will tell you shamelessly the interim board is proposing to give to the stevedores money that already belongs to the Stevedores Part of pension that they have already paid for. They are already entitled to that so that is what they are proposing to give back to say that is as we call the sugar money that is unacceptable and we are not having it and that is why we are out here today with our members to give us a clear directive. Where do we take this from here?"

Flowers believes that they have been blind sided and will not settle for what's being offered to them by the interim board. They are now in the process of preparing to put forward a counter proposal

Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"We have our proposal 23 years ago, and we were prepared to start at that they say we negotiate so we are prepared to start at where we are starting and let's negotiate. We can negotiate it down if you want but don't come and give us what already belongs to us."

Jo
"When government acquired the port Did you really expect that things would take this route?"

Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"None from my end I did not. I expected that we will sit on negotiate and they will look at the Stevedores."

"And remember that an ESAT decision has said, sit and negotiate And remember that they signed an agreement to say when sugar leaves the port of believes if it does, then there shall be an award where is that award? Where is it today? The government needs to do better. We are calling on them to do better."

Flowers notes that may lean towards taking industrial action, but for now the union will decide what direction they will take in the days to come.

Jo
"Has anyone reached out to you in terms of starting these negotiations? Have you guys met since?"

Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"Yes, we have met with the port of Belize only, and we have written to the Prime Minister. We have told him several times, and in different letters what our expectation is, he has not responded, so this rests with the government it rests with the government of Belize, who currently have majority of stake in the port of Belize."

Jo
"I'm sure you've heard that saying that no response is a response so what do you take that as?"

Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"Well, we are responding today. Our response is going to be a response and it's going to be a response that the people of Belize are going to see. It rests with the government."

The stevedores are making their own call to the Prime Minister: they say they work in perilous and arduous conditions - subjected to the elements.

Bruce Diaz, Stevedore
"These are rough weather and conditions that we have to work under as stevedores. We are asking you PM to waive our income tax. We haven't gotten any assistance from since the pandemic has started and we are on the frontline, on the waters and on the land and these are the conditions that we work under."

We'll keep following this story.