PSU Pres Says PM Needs to Support Stevedores, Not Just Cane Farmers

We also sought comment from Dean Flowers, the President of the Public Service Union, a sister union of the Christian Workers Union (CWU). In his remarks, Flowers registered his personal dissatisfaction with the actions of these private companies, while calling on the government to offer legal support to C.W.U. as is being done for the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association.

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

Dean Flowers

“As the leader of the largest public sector union, I will say that I am disgusted by the Port of Belize Limited and ASR/BSI, extremely disgusted. These capitalists believe that when they can continue to rape and abuse workers the way they have grown accustomed to that they can go to court and try to squeeze you financially. I want to say also that I was disappointed to hear the Minister of Agriculture only say that government will be looking at supporting the BSCFA in terms of indemnifying them and providing the legal and financial support they will require, and not a single comment was made about government supporting the stevedores financially and legally. I want to call on the government to defend the brothers and sisters of the Christian Workers Union in this litigation. They are the ones who took the decision to put these individuals in this mess against another capitalist. So, they have a duty and obligations to ensure that a proper legal team and financial support is given to the CWU in the same manner that it is being given to the BSCFA, unless we have a racial divide in the country. Or unless it is that the minister and Prime Minister, we know, are involved in cane. It cannot be that they will protect their association and leave the CWU and poor black men, cause dah black men we the deal with, out of door.”

Paul Lopez

“You are a stickler for processes, so I want to assume, and I will ask you, but I want to assume you agree with PBL in terms of their injunction when they say the government is not legally allowed to pay CWU 1.5 million dollars without first taking it taking it to the National Assembly?”

Dean Flowers

“I don’t know that I can offer a whole lot of comments on that. But, I would really like to hear from Port of Belize Limited, when it is that they have been sticklers, as you referred to myself, for the law if we were a country of laws? And, if they were a country of law that Port would still be in the hands of the Belizean public. So, that is not a matter for me, that is a matter for the courts, but we will see where that goes.”