Venus Bus Lines hit by strike
Complaints over the nation’s public transport system have long been a staple of the news media and today the buses were once again back in the news. This time the problems centred in the North as a labour dispute threatened to curtail one of the country’s busiest runs.
Business was temporarily shut down today at the Venus Bus Line Terminal in Corozal Town. The delay was caused when thirty-five of the company’s workers including drivers, conductors and mechanics went on strike. The employees are demanding higher wages and better working conditions. According to the Christian Workers Union, who represents about 90% of the workers, the industrial action was called after talks with the bus owner, Froylan Gilharry broke down.
James McFoy, President, CWU
“Well we wrote Mr. Gilharry about four months ago, explaining to him that we had over 90% of his drivers and conductors and also some mechanic workers, request and join the Christian Workers Union. We also asked him if we could sit down and try to work out where we go from here. He refused to even reply.”
Froylan Gilharry, Owner, Venus Bus Company
“I could tell Mr. McFoy that he is a big liar. He was the one out there, trying to stop the bus this morning that if the other drivers work, they were going to burn down the buses this morning. It surprised me, for a union man to act like that. He has had two interviews with me on the telephone and I am a busy person, I don’t have time to look for him. I tell him whenever you’re ready let me know, I will be available either in Corozal or Belize.”
The workers demonstrated by the Tower Hill Bridge. Although there was a strong presence of security, the police did not have to arrest anyone as the strike was conducted peacefully.
Jacqueline Woods
“The workers have been on strike since 3 o’clock this morning and say if their demands are not met, they will remain off the job.”
Javier Rodriquez, Driver
“What I would like to remind Mr. Gilharry about, is that when he called a strike for two weeks, we stayed without jobs, without a salary, we supported him a hundred percent. Now that we just want a little more salary, he doesn’t want to help us. We are making $18 per day and that is not enough for a man with a family.”
“Sometimes they send us on charters and only the $10 we have, we can’t get no more. We go for two days and it’s $20 for two days and that’s not right.”
Jacqueline Woods
“How long have you guys been talking to Mr. Gilharry?”
Javier Rodriguez
“Well the union is talking to them about two, three months, two months and anytime we reach at a meeting with him, he says that things bad, things bad. We support him, but we are tired of that.”
The drivers are not only asking for a salary increase. They regularly get tickets from the Traffic Department because their buses do not have essential equipment like a fire extinguisher and jack. What makes the situation even worse they say, is that they are expected to pay the fine.
Hilario Copo, Driver, Venus Bus Line
“What we are demanding right now, is our salary, raise of pay because the salary that we are getting, is a very cheap salary.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What is the salary?”
Hilario Copo
“The salary we are getting right now is $28 a trip, but out of that, we have to take out $10 to eat and we just stay with eighteen dollars”
Jacqueline Woods
“So you’re not given any kind of lunch allowance.”
Hilario Copo
“We are not getting lunch allowance at all because we take that out of our salary.”
Jacqueline Woods
“How safe are the buses, I understand that there are some equipment that you guys travel without?”
Hilario Copo
“Well you know in the buses, we don’t have no equipments. We don’t have spare, we don’t have jacks, we don’t have a wheel spanner, we don’t have fire extinguisher. We are getting tickets everyday from the transport board and the man doesn’t pay the tickets. So we talk to him, we tell him over and over that we need those things for the bus and he doesn’t give us nothing.”
Gilharry claims his workers have never approached him about a raise and the buses are well equipped.
Froylan Gilharry
“If a worker is given a jack or fire extinguisher everything, and he is caught without it, then it is not our fault. He is the one who has to pay for it because if we continue pay for it, we lost the parts plus they don’t take any interest in seeing that they have the necessary equipment to work.”
Gilharry believes the strike was called because the company had to suspend some workers due to disorderly conduct
Froylan Gilharry
“I was never against a worker to join a union nor have I penalized anybody for that. We have to be now and again, suspending people because the public keeps complaining. They get drunk, they come half drunk on the road, they come late to their jobs, sometimes we don’t see them and they don’t give notification that they won’t be working tomorrow and things like that, and we get compromised with the public. They go to Chetumal, they have the buses like taxis around the place with girls and like that, so sometimes we have to suspend these drivers.”
Although the Venus Buses are running, Gilharry admits the strike has affected business. He met with Labour Minister, Valdemar Castillo, this afternoon in Corozal and it was agreed that at the meeting on Tuesday in Belmopan, the two will be joined by Minister of Transportation Henry Canton and representatives of bus drivers and conductors.
A CWU press release this afternoon called on government to enact pending legislation which would strengthen the rights of workers to union representation.
