Strike averted at B.S.I.

A full fledged strike at the Belize Sugar Industries was averted this weekend when B.S.I. and the Belize Workers Union came to an agreement over disciplinary action taken against one of the workers. Vice Chairman of the Union, Thomas Chan had been put on a one-day suspension following a clash with management when Chan was acting on behalf of another employee. According to Chan there was a heated exchange of words when he questioned why and how an employee had been paid to testify against another worker earlier this month. Chan says he later apologized for any offense he may have caused during the incident but was still suspended from his job although he had been acting as a union representative and not a B.S.I. worker. The B.S.I. day shift employees walked out in support at midday on Friday, and others threatened to follow suit over the weekend. But on Friday night, B.S.I. agreed to set aside the disciplinary action and agreed to seek an independent third party, acceptable to both the union and the company, who would mediate any future disputes.

In other union news, the Christian Workers Union is calling on the management of the Belize Port Authority to resume negotiations with Port Authority staff out of respect for the principles of collective bargaining under the International Labor Organization Convention. The C.W.U. says that they submitted a proposal for a collective agreement on behalf of Port staff in June of 1998, but only two meetings have been held with management since that time.