Unions still unhappy with G.O.B. actions

There was no bombast, little hard talk, and the name of Said Musa–with or without epithets attached–was not even mentioned. Those observations may say more about the state of the once powerful Trade Union Congress than anything actually said at their nearly two-hour long press conference this afternoon. Billed as an update on union activities relating to the February eleventh agreement with government, leaders of the half dozen member-unions made presentations on where things stand in their ongoing dispute. What it essentially boils down to is that as concerns the February agreement, the labour leaders are unhappy over a number of points, namely that their nominee to the Central Bank Board of Governors–Zenaida Moya–has not yet been appointed, the D.F.C. Commission of Inquiry has been delayed by government, a forensic auditor for that investigation has not yet been named, and there has been no progress on the revision of the nation’s tax system. One specific demand repeated by P.S.U. President Dylan Reneau involves the collection of back business taxes allegedly owed by the Belize Bank. When asked whether the request was relevant in the light of government’s signed agreement to forgo the matter with the bank, Reneau replied that that deal was not valid.

Dylan Reneau, President, P.S.U.
?This issue was brought out long before they signed on to that agreement. And it is illegal what they did because it didn?t go through the National Assembly etcetera and we have to make it clear that they have got to do the right thing. They have to be transparent. We knew that the amount was seventeen point nine million; they said in their release twelve million. How do we know? It should have gone through the House. It has to go through processes. That is why we still make that demand as a legitimate demand to the government, because it hasn?t gone through those formal processes. So is it really legal??

Stewart Krohn
?So you?re saying that was an illegal agreement that they signed with Mr. Ashcroft??

Dylan Reneau
?I can claim that.?

Stewart Krohn
?Next question for Mr. Perriott. Mr. Perriott, have you been involved in any negotiations with either Mr. Ashcroft or Mr. Prosser to have the union or the union on behalf of the B.T.L. employees to engage in some kind of employee purchase plan for shares of B.T.L.??

Paul Perriott, President, B.C.WU.
?Yes, initially when we had started the whole proposals to purchase shares, we had been called to meetings with both Michael Ashcroft and telephone conversations with the Prosser Group, and all in the same direction. Michael Ashcroft wanted to share the thirty-seven percent that?s available, himself getting thirty-seven point five percent at the end of the day, which again would have given him control of the board of directors. Jeffrey Prosser on the other hand wanted twenty percent of the thirty-seven percent, which would give him again fifty-one percent of the shares and again control of the board. And what we have been asking for or what we have been striving for so far is to get control of the board for Belizeans, not for any foreign entity.?

Stewart Krohn
?It is understood that if in fact the government announces a deal in the House on Friday in which Mr. Ashcroft will gain majority control of B.T.L., would your union still be interested in negotiating a minority carve out of those shares??

Paul Perriott
?Well to answer that question point-blank, I believe with the injunction that we have issued in the courts last Friday that should stop any transaction of shares come Friday–?

Stewart Krohn
?That?s if the injunction is successful.?

Paul Perriott, President, B.C.WU.
?Well we believe it will be. And so to even go further to the other side of the question, that is to be seen or that it has to be dealt with if we get to that side of the road.?

That injunction was one of two legal actions being pursued by the Communications Workers Union in the Supreme Court, seeking to interpret various clauses of B.T.L.’s articles of association with regard to who may own more than twenty-five percent of the company’s shares. Union President Paul Perriott declined to say exactly what actions his union might take if things did not go their way.