New strategies seek to prevent labour strife
Prolonged strikes by workers, or lockouts by management are not everyday occurrences in Belize, but when they do take place they have the power to wreak havoc on our tiny economy. That’s why efforts are being made to find new ways to deal with the problems between employees and employers. News 5’s Patrick Jones reports.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The weeklong seminar brings together representatives from across the labour spectrum to discuss newer ways of resolving differences. Acting Deputy Labour Commissioner, Adelfino Vasquez, says the idea is to get people to settle disputes through conciliation and mediation instead of confrontation.
Adelfino Vasquez, A.G. Deputy Labour Commissioner
“Yes it is something that can work in Belize, it has been working all about. It’s working in Central America very good, for example in Costa Rica, in the field of commerce, it has helped the litigations by not going to court. It is a faster process because parties come together with a conciliator, or a mediator, or an arbitrator, and they solve their problems without going to court.”
It’s a scientific approach to conflict resolution, and although the alternative disputes resolution concept is not new to the region, for Belize it’s unfamiliar territory. Vasquez is upbeat, however, about the prospects for the program’s success here.
Adelfino Vasquez
“We are hoping that in the field of labour we will have less conflicts in Belize, in the sense that the workers’ representatives and the employers representatives will be knowledgeable about the techniques, so that they can come together and solve their problems. In fact, what we are anticipating is that this program will help reduce tension in the work areas.”
Over thirty participants representing the sugar, banana and citrus industries, as well as the judiciary, government and University of Belize, are discussing the new ideas in conflict resolution. While Belize has a lot of catching up to do with the rest of Central America, Vasquez says its not like we have a choice.
Adelfino Vasquez
“Belize has subscribed to the World Trade Agreement, and that has certain responsibilities placed on employers who produce, for example, in the banana industry. They have to be certified, and the certification that they go through is rigorous and they have to comply with the I.L.O. Core Conventions that Belize has been signatory to. So with that they are forced to comply and see the wisdom now in applying and adapting A.D.R. in their workplace, because then A.D.R. becomes a win-win situation.”
And to ensure that winning approach to settling disputes, Vasquez says future training programmes will ensure that employers, employees, and their respective representatives, are up to speed with the new trends. Patrick Jones, for News 5.
Topics being discussed at the seminar include principles of impartiality, communication management techniques, and the different stages of mediation. The facilitator for the four-day labour forum is Eduardo Garro of the Secretariat for the Economic Integration of Central America. It ends on Friday afternoon.
