The work hard for the money, so boss should treat them right
The old Dona Summer song says she works hard for the money so you better treat her right. And although, they aren’t singing the song, that’s exactly how some construction workers in Ladyville want to be treated. They told News Five that they work all hours of the day, night, weekends and on public and bank and holidays and the overtime compensation is simply not forthcoming. News Five’s Delahnie Bain reports.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
A group of laborers, working on an apartment complex and Laundromat in Ladyville expressed frustration when we met them just before the long weekend. They felt they were being abused because they were not being paid for overtime or public and bank holidays.
Falconery Polanco, Construction Worker
“Lately we have been facing some difficulties like laborers not being able to collect a holiday pay, laborers having to work pan wah Sunday weh dah wah day off fi we cause we work from Monday to Saturday and Sunday dah fi we day off and we have to end up di work fi mek we could collect wah holiday pay, which I believe is not right. We work about fifty-odd hours fi di week weh we get paid fi one week salary when di labor law says that wah laborer fi work forty-five hours fi di week and anything ova dat should be time and a half. We been giving these people over wah day for fi di week ova without any kind of compensation, without any kind ah holiday payment. I myself worked three months in this project without my boss paying social security for me. When I asked for this job I brought my valid social security to him and I told him I have a social security, which he took, took my number and still did not pay for three months until he got caught up. When he got caught up, he got charged and afterwards he collected what he was charged from each and every one of us laborers for his negligence.”
The men say that when they tried to find out about their rights, it only caused more trouble on the job.
falconery polanco
Falconery Polanco
“Di boss shut down di project and he seh dat none of us have any work here no more until he is ready to employ us and furthermore he shall bring in his own people and force to do the job that we believe he is chancing us for.”
Kenrick Cumberbatch, Construction Worker
kenrick cumberbatch
“We work through harder rain dan dis out deh. Dis dah noh rain weh we work out deh; harder dan dis with dis mud yah, di shub wheelbarrow through den yah mud yah and he neva give up. So how sudden one you want give up pan we? Dehn gone through all dis hard work, now dat ih di get easy you want seh well you gwein dah Belmopan go bring people fi do di easier part now?”
Joseph Alvarez, Plumber
“I open di eyes fi dehn guys because I have my business, I’m a plumbing contractor but not because you’re a plumbing contractor means yoh can’t come down to a lower level and work fi what you need. And I open these guys eyes and di contractor seh dat how my service is terminated; he gonna do di plumbing on his own.”
According to the workers, all they want is to have their rights enforced.
Kenrick Cumberbatch
“We need di Social Security fi check all job, we need di labor law fi put somebody out deh fi check all stats; put people out deh because big time chances being taken out here.”
Joseph Alvarez
“I’m not fighting for me because I make money; money noh mek me. I’m fighting for the workman dem dat do not have a trade, that have to come out every day out ah dehn bed left dem house, left dem family, noh even know if dehn wah reach back in di night or when five o’clock come. It’s not about me, it’s about my co-workers. I’m fighting for dem.”
Falconery Polanco
joseph alvarez
“No matter how poor or how rich or in what class of society you are, once you are a laborer you have rights and you deserve to have it.”
Delahnie Bain for News Five.
Today News Five caught up with the Contractor, Sherwin White. While he refused an on-camera interview, he told us that construction workers generally are not paid overtime and that since the start of the project there has been an agreement with the laborers to work six days a week for a set daily rate. He also explained that there was a similar arrangement with the plumber, Joseph Alvarez, but he became disruptive, refused to work and encouraged others to do the same. According to White, Alvarez and the others were terminated because they were being counterproductive and the project had to move forward.
In these days most people would feel happy to have a job where they could work extra hours, overtime pay or not. I’m not saying labour laws should not be obeyed, but it’s a poor attitude — look around the world, even in the States, and you’ll see that greedy labour forces wanting an easy ride have resulted in economic chaos and UNEMPLOYMENT. Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg!
The Golden Rule in business is the man with the gold makes the rules. Mr. White needs to remember that if he is taking advantage of his workers because they are vulnerable, the same people he steps on on his way up, are the same ones he will pass on his way down. Brothers don’t allow greed to cut off your nose to spite your face.
Once again, the laws of Belize are being broken,but because it’s by someone with money, nothing will get done……
–‘…the others were terminated because they were being counterproductive…” Didn’t he mean to say they were being “kicked off the job because someone finally opened their eyes to present day slavery and slavemaster.” Give the devil his due, these guys are doing hard work, pay them what it’s worth. The world is round Mr White, what goes around comes around.
you can work and get paid or complain and get fired ,there is a lot of jobless people who would take over gladly .
i say fire them all ,and get a new crew…
The whole of the country has people being taken advantage of and noone seems to do somethging about it, i think it’s good these guys are willing to take the chance. Another thing no matter your economic status there is a thing where you’re paid to work a certain amount of hours and that’s it anything above that ain’t free my brothers HELLLLL NOOOO!!! Slavery days are well over……and that’s not a bad attitude why work extra free hours when you can get a second paying job.
I am an employer too and I say all these people are no smarter than the average Joe, including Mr. White. The law is very clear on this. The laborers should never contact the media as this will get them all fired for defamation against Mr. White. The people to call is the labor enforcement officers. Now Mr. White needs to realize that there is a law governing these things and he needs to be charged. A bad economy does not give anyone the rught to abuse people.
This is precisely the reason contractors prefer hiring Central American ‘aliens’ as opposed to born Belizeans. Whereas the Belizean worker will stand up and speak out if he/she is being taken advantage of, the immigrant will shut up and take the s*!t. The net result is that wages get beaten down further and further and working conditions keep deteriorating. For pointing this out Belizeans are branded as “lazy”, not least of all Black Belizeans. So to all those before who said the men should be content or be fired I ask this of you: the next time you feel cheated or abused in the slightest way at your job (if you can keep one) do the nation a favour and shut up as well. You all and your attitude is what has contributed the deplorable state of working conditions in this country and your callous attitude just demonstrates that your bread is already buttered on both sides.
These people are supposed to be paid for work they already done and for all the time they have been abused. In addition just for trying to abuse workers just because they know they need their job,this contractor should be penalized, financially so the workers can get a lil lump of money for their xmas…and to make a contract that these workers will finish the project.
Another thing, and this goes for the labor office, there should be more information and let people know their rights and be heard so they wont be afraid to talk up. They think they will just waste their time thats why they dont report anything,,and this i know for sure is just one case,,,there are many more…
”Slavery” will always exist in the world in one form or the other. The only difference is that slavery these days is not about ”race”. Its about economic class. Additionally, its not forced labour so to speak. You can choose not to work and die of hunger. Not to sound Marxist, but the class that control the means of production will always take advantage of those who they employ and to them its not called ”taking advantage of”…its called taking care of the ”bottom line” – the profitability. To make a long story short- there will always be a battle between socialism with goverment control and oversight such as labour laws, etc and extreme capitalism – with no regulations and where the only law is the law of survival of the fittest plus extreme greed. Both are as evil as the other, so I guess we are all doomed.
For all of you who disagree with these men for standing up for their rights…you all should be ashamed of yourselves!!…tell me honestly…would you work overtime and not get paid??? would you work weekends and holidays without getting paid any at all??? I DON’S THINK SO!!! so shut your pie holes… if your answer is yes, then i say u really are passionate and really dedicated to your so called job and you don’t really do it for the money. I applaud these guys for standing up for their rights which where are given to all working Belizeans and which are mandated by the laws of Belize.
GOTTA BE SOMEBODY NAMED WHITE —————–WHY WHITE ALWAYS THINK THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WITH BLACK? THATS WHAT U GET FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR PARENTS AS TEENAGERS AND NOT EDUCATE YOURSELVES NOW U GOTTA TAKE ABUSE FROM WHITEY