Energy workers to meet with mediators over wage increase talks

One week ago Belize Energy Workers Union and Belize Electricity Limited launched a public battle in the media, with both sides accusing the other bad faith. BEWU threw the first punch, accusing B.E.L. of being greedy and unethical for wanting a rate increase. The union also went on to allege that C.E.O. Lynn Young refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement unless the union agreed to a substantially reduced salary increase. The utility company fired off its response within a couple hours maintaining that the union had initially requested a twenty-five percent increase, which the company simply could not afford. B.E.L. says when it offered the union a two percent wage increase in December 2007 in addition to merit bonuses, they rejected the proposal. To make its position clear, this evening the union’s executive called a press conference to air their grievances.

Sean Nicholas, President, BEWU
“Today’s press conference is just to clarify some of the points made by the company’s press release and the Energy Workers Union press release.”

Dorla Staine, Secretary General, BEWU
“On the matter of the two percent that Mr. Young mentioned that he offered to us, he said it in a half truth because he did not say that those things had conditions. Some of the conditions were that the linesmen, the guys that work on the machines, the guys that work at the substations, would have to reduce their lunch hour, which is given to them by labour laws. One hour they have to eat. They go to work seven in the morning, stop at twelve and they suggested that they take twenty minutes to eat. So that was one of the conditions. The other condition was that instead of we go every five years for negotiation, Mister Young stretch it out to ten now so that is saying to us that he don’t want to speak to us as employees anymore.”

Adolphus Rosales, Union Negotiator
“There were very senior management people who had all the authority to bargain and they have bargained and they have agreed to articles and the management now, which is the president and the C.E.O., is refusing the sign the agreement based on what his people have agreed to and that is illegal.”

Dorla Staine
“When they presented the article for ratification by the union, he told us blatantly that if we upheld the opinion that we have, he will not sign. We held back, we decide lets wait until we go around the table again and we did that two weeks ago, sixth of June. In that meeting that decision was restated and then we said where are we, official negotiations are over, there seems to be no way in sight because management are saying they will not sign.”

When we contacted B.E.L. this evening, Corporate Communications Manager Dawn Sampson maintained that they are unable to agree with the union’s request to make the four point five percent rise retroactive to June 2000 as they believe they fulfilled that obligation in November of that year. As for those conditions set by B.E.L. for the two percent increase, Sampson says those terms were negotiable, but BEWU did not want to negotiate. She added that B.E.L. reviews employee salaries every three years to make sure it is inline with the cost of living and that the union’s basis for asking for an increase was moot because salary exceeds inflation.

So when will the back and forth end? According to union negotiator Adolphus Rosales, there is a meeting in the works that could resolve the situation.

Adolphus Rosales
“There is a scheduled meeting with the union and management of B.E.L. under the auspices of ministry of labour and the labour department tomorrow morning scheduled at ten o’clock. Hopefully, with their intervention we might be able to see a way forward. The reason why the union is adapting this stand is that we realise that we must be cognizant of the ramifications any action, any potential action that the union may wish to take, the impact it will have on the community at large, in principality, the consumers of electrical energy.”

According to Sampson, B.E.L. has also written the Labour Commissioner for an interpretation of the issues and they are awaiting a response.