B.T.L. workers press for ownership

If viewers are sometimes confused over exactly what the current national crisis is all about, don’t feel bad; we’re not always sure either. While the main thrust of protesters now appears to be the unconditional resignation of the government and the holding of new elections, there are other intermediate issues. The most prominent is a demand by B.T.L. employees that they be given the opportunity to own a big chunk of their company. News Five’s Patrick Jones reports.

Patrick Jones, Reporting
The mid-afternoon press conference hosted by the Belize Communications Workers Union had as its sole objective to put forward the employee?s side of the story on the ongoing telecommunications fiasco. With strong support from the Belize Water Services Union, B.C.W.U. President Paul Perriott made a strong case for employee ownership of the company that has consistently been one of the most profitable in the country.

Paul Perriott, President, B.C.W.U.
?Why say you want Belizeanization and then at every opportunity, firstly when M.C.I. sold, then when the Social Security Board sold, when Carlisle sold its shares, when G.O.B. sold, and each and every time the government chooses a foreign interest to purchase shares in B.T.L. The Belize Communication Workers Union believes that all Belizeans support a B.T.L. owned and managed company. We all know that when employees have an ownership stake they will be even more committed and perform better. Not to say that our workers are not performing, but we know that if you have that stake within the company it will give rise to more higher performance.?

Perriott says the union is not asking for G.O.B. to give the shares as a gift, but that the workers are prepared to buy the remaining thirty-seven point five percent of the shares in B.T.L. Using the shares collateral for a loan, they?ll use the dividend income to service the loan and pay off the principal. Perriott says there are definite plans of how they will manage the shares so that all Belizeans reap the benefits of local ownership.

Paul Perriott
?Blocks of these thirty-seven percent and a half shares available right now that G.O.B. owns will be made available to other unions, including the nurses, the teachers, the police, the soldiers, and public officers. We know that very key to Belizeanization–and I keep on mentioning this, that is Belizeans own a stake in B.T.L., this company is very, very profitable. If Belizeans own a stake in it, the money, the income flow from thee company could stay within Belize, enhance Belize?s income. And foreign income would also be coming in also from sales that we do internationally, so it benefits each and everyone of us.?

Perriott also used the opportunity of a national radio audience to lash out at the Public Utilities Commission, which he accuses of now taking over a private company and running it as if it was they own.

Paul Perriott
?Suddenly the P.U.C. has enormous power. Where was the P.U.C. when the simple issue of interconnection would have prevented tens of millions of dollars from being given to INTELCO through the Social Security Board, where were they? How come they are so impotent against special interest, like foreign ownership, but so powerful when it comes to employees and management of B.T.L.? If you have noticed, over the past weeks since we have gone through our problems there at B.T.L., the P.U.C. has automatically taken over our company. They are involved in all the decision making as to who would come in. They have enforced police brutality on some of our employees to force them to come in to work and under police guard. Where were they when the INTELCO mess was passing through our doors??

Management representative, Mark Usher, who is now a member of B.C.W.U., made a presentation during the press conference in which he outlined several instances over the last ten years where Belizeans had an opportunity to own the company, but were betrayed by government.

Mark Usher, Member, B.C.W.U.
?My point is, in both instances the entity that was assigned to keep watch over the fundamental concept of the articles, thirty thousand Belizeans, in both instances spanning 1993 to 1999, in both instances G.O.B deliberately went against the articles and sold B.T.L. to foreign ownership.?

?Nonetheless, in 2005 a couple weeks ago G.O.B. had an opportunity to redeem itself. The group that is Sunrise, which comprise of mangers as well as employees of B.T.L. which would have been a legally constituted body to be a permitted person–and that is very critical for us to understand, Sunrise made a valiant attempt to secure the fifty-two percent and by extent put B.T.L. back into the hands of Belizeans, at least initially. G.O.B. said very good, we will do whatever it takes to facilitate Sunrise. A couple weeks later, G.O.B. sold fifteen percent of that fifty-two to Mr. Ashcroft, immediately after.?

But with the rug now seemingly pulled from under Sunrise, Usher says they continue to hold out hope that the remaining thirty-seven and a half percent of the shares will come to the B.T.L. employees.

Patrick Jones
?You outlined three instances in which you said government clearly violated the articles of association, three opportunities to Belizeanize the company. Is hope lost that Sunrise or Belizeans can become a permitted person and get control of the company??

Mark Usher
?I am so glad for that question because as I said on Love FM this morning, hope is definitely not lost. I think there is more hope now because with knowledge, knowledge brings power. Throughout this struggle, what we have learnt about the articles and about the whole process and when you look back at the history of the sequence of events that have us where we are, it really puts us in the best position. As you guys know, we are around the table with G.O.B. negotiating, and hope is definitely not lost.?

And responding to a question posed by Krem Radio?s Kalilah Enriquez, Perriott says taking ownership of the shares will not immediately cure the current national malaise.

Paul Perriott
?As I think I mentioned on the radio this morning that I think the thirty-seven percent is only one factor in the T.U.C. calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. And we are as a union working towards a resolution with regards to the thirty-seven percent, yes we are. But that definitely, I must stand as a unionist–and I know my members stand behind me–that that would never be a resolution to us backing out of the trade union?s call for the resignation of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. (Applause) And I must add on more that if he is coming to the table to discuss our issues with regards to the thirty-seven, he must come to the table and let us give him a date as to when they can step down as the present government.?

Patrick Jones for News Five.

All the other union officials of the N.T.U.C.B. at today’s press conference gave their support to the B.C.W.U.’s efforts, while at the same time strongly condemning acts of violence and sabotage.