B.C.C.I. Provides Update on Occupational Safety and Health Bill

It took the unfortunate and tragic deaths of Roque Jimenez and Orlington Stuart to highlight the urgent need for the passage and implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Bill. The bill was brought for first reading in 2014. Two major stakeholders, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, entered into discussions to recommend amendments. Discussions resumed this year but according to the government, the bill has yet to be sent to Labour Advisory Board which would then receive the recommendations and advance the legislation. According to the B.C.C.I., a letter was sent to the then Chairman of the Public Service, Labour, Industry, and Trade Committee to point out several areas of the proposed law that either required clarifications or amendments. Meetings with the N.T.U.C.B. were held in 2018 with discussions occurring most recently on July second, 2019. Both parties agreed to formulate a six-member working committee tasked with reviewing the Bill to obtain a satisfactory final draft by November 2019. President of the B.C.C.I. Nikita Usher explains.

Nikita Usher

Nikita Usher, President, B.C.C.I.  

“The OSH Bill is not really a hold up by the Chamber. The OSH Bill went to the House initially and when the House was dissolved that bill actually is now no longer in existence. You now have to reboot that bill. That bill has been asked for the N.T.U.C.B. and the Chamber to meet on the bill. The bill is a very lengthy bill but it is very onerous. It is a bill that has implications other ways. We felt that we had to have a meeting of the minds of both entities to ensure that you have collective agreement on where that bill will go. We have called for the last fourteen months a meeting with the N.T.U.C.B.  As a matter of fact the last meeting was held on July second after which they will come back now at the table for us to look at the detail; what we can afford to agree to and what we cannot afford to agree to. When the N.T.U.C.B. finishes their analysis, I can’t really answer for Mr. Mora but we know the Chamber has done its part. We know where we would want the bill to go. Where are waiting on them to come forward with that. Once that is completed then it goes to government again to now to go as a bill back into the House.”