P.B.L. Case Against C.W.U and Stevedores Begins in the Supreme Court

Everyone will recall when the stevedores, most if not all of them being members of the Christian Workers’ Union, staged a strike against their employer, the Port of Belize Limited in February 2022. The industrial action resulted from a number of issues that the stevedores and the C.W.U had with the port.  The Ministry of Labour had to intervene before the stevedores returned to work eight days later. P.B.L took the C.W.U. to court on grounds that the industrial action was an illegal one. The matter went to trial today before Supreme Court Judge Genevieve Chabot. One of two attorneys for P.B.L., Hector Guerra told News Five that the case that the P.B.L has brought against the C.W.U and the stevedores is not a common one in Belize.

Hector Guerra

Hector Guerra, Attorney for Port of Belize Limited

“The C.W.U and its members, in particular the stevedores had engaged in a strike in which they said we wouldn’t load and unload any containers. So this morning saw the commencement of the trial in the matter. The trial and our claim is one that is called a tortious action. It’s a unique claim in Belize and it’s for unlawful interference with economic interest. So in essence, Port of Belize is saying, “hey, C.W.U and members, you’ve engaged in an illegal strike, and as a result, you prohibited us from being able to serve our customers and as a result, we’ve suffered economic loss, damages. The damages run to about run to about a quarter million dollars and it emanates from the fact that the Port really was unable during that period to service ships which were scheduled to call to unload and load.”