Unions seek solidarity for Monday’s strike
To strike or not to strike. That’s the big topic of discussion at this hour as the management council of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize meets in a closed-door session at B.N.T.U.’s conference room in Belize City. Representatives of member unions that make up the N.T.U.C.B. are laying their respective positions on the table regarding the proposed increase in Social Security contributions and the retirement age. The B.N.T.U. has called out its members for a demonstration on Monday and the Belize Workers Union has stated its intention to join the teachers on the picket line. The Public Service Union has expressed solidarity with the teachers and served notice on the government of their intention to take industrial action. And although most of the labour leaders preferred to keep their thoughts on the issue closely guarded, two representatives involving essential service told News 5’s Patrick Jones that while they are in solidarity with the umbrella organization’s stance, the way forward needs to be carefully studied.
Mark Butler, President, Belize Energy Worker’s Union
“Well our position is that we are presently convening a meeting at this moment with the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, which is affiliated with all other unions in this country. And whatever is decided at this end of this meeting, we are in solidarity with.”
Patrick Jones
“And without divulging what exactly is on the table for discussion, where do you see this going?”
Mark Butler
“Where we see this going is that we need to stand in solidarity with our members, the people of this country and the total workforce of this country. So whatever the National Trade Union Congress decided, as I said before, we are in solidarity.”
Rene Gomez, Pres., O.W. Branch, Belize Worker’s Union
“We have met with our membership today and we will solidarise with the Teacher’s Union on Monday. What we are doing, we’re closing down the sugar factory at Towerhill for two hours to solidarise and we’re going to join the rally with the teachers at the Queen Elizabeth Park in Orange Walk Town. We have stated our intentions to management and…well, they can’t do anything. We’re serious about it and we want them to take that up with government and not with us, but we need to do something.”
Patrick Jones
“And that something is to walk off the job, is that justified at this time?”
Rene Gomez
“Yes, because we have stated our intentions to them yesterday and today we met with them again and we told them that we need to do something to show the Government of Belize that the Belize Worker’s Union will do something too. And even if we need to make management take this up with government, because as a result of these increases and these hikes, the Belize Worker’s Union has said that we need to solidarise with all our unions because all our unions are doing something. And so come Monday we will come out in forces and picket in the street and rally along with the teachers and all the other unions from Orange Walk.”
Paul Perriott, Pres., Communication Worker’s Union
“We stand in solidarity with the N.T.U.C.B. Whatever decision we make here today will be the deciding factor as to what we can do. As essential services, we are covered under a different law and our actions would have to be slightly different than the other unions who are actually working under the government. So our solidarity will more be strength issue in mass forces when we do any sort of picketing or any other show of force.”
“For our membership it’s basically the same, nobody is in agreement with the increases and I think that is the bottom line. We are going to be affected by it more, because we are in the higher income brackets, so we have to look at it more on an issue of how much we will be paying out of our pockets. So from the membership they are basically saying, if we have to do something to show along with N.T.U.C.B., we will be doing that.”
Representatives at this evening’s meeting include the Belize Workers Union, Belize Water Services Workers Union, Belize Energy Workers Union, the Belize National Teachers Union, the Christian Workers Union and the Belize Communications Workers Union. Other members of the N.T.U.C.B. are the Public Service Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers.
