P.B.L. vs. C.W.U.: Who’s Holding Who at Ransom?

The Port of Belize maintains that the C.W.U. is attempting to hold the country ransom by its actions, but is the company also playing hardball by effectively splitting the members of the union on this controversial issue?  That’s what our colleague put to the C.E.O. Peralta during a sit-down with reporters this afternoon.

Reporter

“The C.W.U. right now is really split because some man, dehn need fi earn dehn money and some man wahn come two-by-two.  The two gangs have said mek we clear off this ship and mek wih money.  Are you all holding the line in the hope that you break the union’s resolve and you force them to do two gangs, one ship?

Ted Peralta

Ted Peralta, C.E.O., Port of Belize Ltd.

“We’re not looking to break any way or form or manner, right.  We want our employees to be satisfied employees and if that means that we have to sit down and reach a form of collaboration between the two parties then we are open to it.  At the end of the day, we do understand the situation the stevedores find themselves in and we do understand that everybody needs to put food on the table.  This is the important matter at the end of the day and we urge all our employees and all our members that we know have been split down the middle on this decision, to please put forward a resolution to their president and come back to the table and let’s get these containers discharged, let’s get these items out to the consumers of Belize at the minimum cost to everybody.”