Unions lambaste new Social Security legislation
With a twenty-two to seven majority in the House of Representatives, the passage of proposed legislation on the nation’s social security system is not in doubt. But today, in anticipation of Friday’s House sitting, Belize’s usually tame labour movement launched a pre-emptive strike aimed squarely to derail government’s plans. This morning at a Belize City press conference, the criticisms were dropping like cruise missiles.
Rene Gomez, General Workers Union, B.S.I.
“Under no uncertain terms is the National Trade Union Congress is in agreement that the House passes this bill for a second and third reading on Friday…and we want the country of Belize to know this.”
Anthony Fuentes, Belize Natl. Teacher’s Union
“We know that on April first both teachers and the public officers got an increase in salary… What is happening is that government in giving you the increase with one hand and with the other hand they are taking back these monies through the increase in Social Security contribution.”
Horace Patten, Belize Workers Union
“We have asked the same question, why the increase? And up to now, I think none of us could rightly say and give you a very good reason why will there be an increase on Social Security, nobody could tell you that.”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Armed with an alphabet soup of acronyms, this morning six union leaders, representing more than fifteen thousand workers, went on the warpath. Their beef is with the Government of Belize, specifically, the proposed increase in Social Security contributions.
Rene Gomez
“Why the increase in contributions? To pay for campaign promises? N.H.I. and pension? Seventy-five dollars for the women over sixty-five? We don’t know this, we are just insinuating. But we want to be convinced, and thus the need for consultation.”
“They are telling us we must believe them. In 2000 they didn’t even listen to us, they said next time we will consult. Two years after, they come again. We cannot take this…we don’t trust you.”
Mixed in with the distrust is a colander of confusion over the facts and figures…just one ingredient that has left a bad taste in the mouth of Senator Rene Gomez.
Rene Gomez
“We are hurt to know that we have a government that want to take us, the workers, for granted. And that will not go down easily… Yesterday we met again, this time officially with Ministers Coye, Francis Fonseca and the General Manager for the Social Security Board. And finally then, a first piece of information was handed over to us, finally. And this is the information we got. From the ninth to the tenth, one month after, we took ours, the twenty-first of May. They didn’t call and say we want to discuss this, because we would have told them that this came from us. So, last night I was called by Miss Narda Garcia to check my email and that this is there already. The one they gave us yesterday was erroneous too, so finally last night we got this.”
Thrown in to flavour the stew is another part of the bill that seeks to alter the composition of the Social Security Board.
Lawrence Nicholas, Assn. of Public Service Senior Mgrs.
“We as the Trade Union Congress also have to be cognizant that whilst we debate, analyse and look at basically the composition of the board, that the Social Security Board goes on without actually having a board there. At the Social Security Board, as it is proposed in this particular bill, gives us two seats, the private sector has two seats also, the Chamber of Commerce, Business Bureau. I think really that the work of the National Trade Union Congress lies on the appointment of the board, whereby they will be the watchdog for the people.”
George Frazer, Trade Union Congress of Belize
“Yesterday they were saying no, that most countries the board has more government representatives. We are not with that position, we believe that because of the bad experience, we need to have more representation. It is our money! I asked a question yesterday, how much of the loans are bad loans. People are not paying back; we have heard about so many loans going out… Bellevue, Novelo’s, many others, and we know some of these have gone under or are having difficulties.”
Rene Gomez
“We want to mandate the government of Belize, under the umbrella of the National Trade Union Congress, to put this bill on hold until proper consultations are held.”
But in the meantime the unionists are focused on the bigger picture… Bottom line is that the bill means more money coming out of the pockets of Belizean workers…and according to the labour representatives, this is only the beginning.
Anthony Fuentes
“The Honourable Jose Coye mentioned at our meeting yesterday that the N.H.I. will be a separate issue. So N.H.I. will not be included in this increase, according to the Minister, the Hon. Jose Coye. My brothers and sisters, as I have mentioned, we believe that this bill should be kept on hold.”
For now though, the union reps are trying to keep their emotions in check, all the while reminding Belmopan that they’ve got the leverage to make good on any warnings, threats or promises.
Rene Gomez
“And if government doesn’t want to listen, then suffer the consequences of your people because we have a force out there, the working force. And we don’t want to agitate no one, but if need to, then we will cross that bridge when we are there.”
News 5 understands that on Thursday Cabinet will meet in a special caucus to discuss the Social Security Reform Bill one last time before Friday’s House meeting. In its promotional literature the Social Security Board has pointed to the improved governance mandated by the new legislation and cites the increased benefits that will be financed by the enlarged contributions. These include pensions for uninsured women age sixty-five and over, along with major increases in benefits for maternity, employment injury, invalidity, disability and retirement, among others.
