Mayor Bradley says much headway in resolving dispute surrounding 26 fired employees

Darrell Bradley

Following a weekend meeting between Mayor Darrell Bradley and CWU President Audrey Matura-Shepherd, it was revealed that much headway had been made in resolving the dispute surrounding twenty-six City Council security workers. That’s good news for the workers, most of who should at this point be preparing to move into a ready-made job with a new security firm. For those, there will be employment at the same rate they were previously being paid. For three others there will be a hearing before the Medical Board, and for the rest who don’t fit into the equation, there will be compassionate package.

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Darrell Bradley, Belize City Mayor

“One of the things that the union did is that we were discussing individual by individual and what to do, so that we are working with a listing of twenty-five persons. We had agreed to pursue a course with respect to three of them which may result in them being declared medically unfit, in which case they would get invalidity benefits so that we have agreed to take that route in respect to those three, and in respect to the remaining twenty-two, then we would proceed with the redundancy and make certain compensatory payments in accordance with a schedule as agreed with the union for certain persons who are in certain categories that we have discussed. What we had agreed to because the numbers were lessened, the contractor had told us that he was able…as our strategy we had tried to get him to take all the persons. Those who he would not take or we could not retain then those are the persons he had difficulty with. The reality is that persons who they don’t take and we won’t retain…it’s only three people, so that softens the blow in relation to any kind of payment because you’re not talking about ten people, you’re not talking about eight people, you’re only talking about three people. In respect of those persons who are made the offer to go to alternative employment, there was a discussion in relation to what we do with those persons if they say no. My view is that if there is an offer and you are getting the same base rate that the City Council pays, then if you refuse that offer it’s on you.”