What About ESAT? Stevedores Need Full Compensation for Sugar Redundancy

Shyne Barrow

The Essential Services Awards Tribunal previously ruled in favor of the stevedores being compensated for the losses they incurred when sugar operations were transferred to Big Creek several years ago.  With the Government of Belize resuming ownership of the Port of Belize Limited, the issue of settlement for redundancy remains a live matter for the Christian Workers Union which is advocating on behalf of the waterfront workers to be duly compensated.

Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“What is outstanding is the ESAT, Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal, and I have been speaking about this since May, April of this year, when the stevedores, the Christian Workers Union were facing their difficulties, their challenges with their ex gratia payment frozen and a government, a Briceño government that refused to enforce the tribunal’s decision that the CWU, the stevedores, were in fact redundant and there should be some type of settlement made with them.  That needed to be worked out, that was the decision of the tribunal which was final.  It was not the CWU’s responsibility to go to the High Court and litigate the matter, that’s why you have a tribunal and when both parties submit to the tribunal what the tribunal says is final and the government refused to intervene and enforce the decision of the tribunal.  Now that the government owns the port and they have appointed their board, I pray that this is number one on the priority list to ensure that the ESAT decision is enforced and the stevedores, who the prime minister claimed this is the reason why we are acquiring the port, we are purchasing the port with the taxpayers dollars was because he loves the stevedores so much.  The stevedores need their settlement for redundancy for the sugar going to Big Creek, according to the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal.”