N.T.U.C.B. wants compromis details before signing

In other news, there are only two more days until the Belize-Guatemala compromis for the I.C.J. is signed in Washington D.C., but tonight the National Trade Union Congress is making a last minute request to government to make the document public. According to the N.T.U.C.B. press release, the Belizean people have a right to know the details of the document before it is signed because they should be involved in every stage of the process.

Dylan Reneau, President, N.T.U.C.B.
“We are concerned about what is contained in the compromis. This Belize/Guatemala issue is very near and dear to the trade union movement because of our history with it. We have been having discussions amongst ourselves and we thought it prudent for us to at least put our voice into the forum on asking for the compromis to be made public prior to signing because once bitten twice shy. We have had several issues that have been done secretively in this country and it has come back to haunt the Belizean people so we want to put it out there to the government that we want them to be transparent.”

Kendra Griffith
“Why wait until the eve of the signing to make your feelings known?”

Dylan Reneau
“Recall that they had said that it was because of a diplomatic issue and we have in fact spoken to other people who sit on various committees that deal with the matter and they told us the same, so that is why we didn’t. But it has come to light that is no longer a valid excuse and really and truly that should come to the Belizean people. When you look at these documents, you have to look at wording, there may be riders in there that really and truly it matters not whether it comes to a referendum or not; it would go through and those are the concerns that we have. We don’t know what is in it and words do have meaning and we want to know what those words are and how it will impact on the Belize Guatemala situation.”

Kendra Griffith
“Does the N.T.U.C.B. have an opinion as to whether or not we should go to the ICJ?”

Dylan Reneau
“Yes, the N.T.U.C.B. has an opinion. We don’t believe it is necessary for us to go to the I.C.J. because we have a lot of lose and when it comes to legal issues you could never tell. It depends on the day, on the time, on the feelings of the person who is going to do the judgment. So it’s never a guarantee and we are concerned that we may lose in this matter.”

News Five and Channel Five’s breakfast show Open Your Eyes will bring you complete coverage of the event from Washington D.C. with William Neal.