N.T.U.C.B. President concerned about Telemedia Union busting

Dylan Reneau

Late last week, Paul Perriott, threw in the towel from his job at Telemedia.  Perriott, who is a ranking member of the Belize Communications Workers Union and a union senator, says he was forced to resign because he was being frustrated by the telephone company. He is now taking his fight with the management of Telemedia to the umbrella organization of trade unions.  On Wednesday night, Perriott, along with other members of BCWU, met with executives of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize in a lengthy sit-down to seek its support in addressing what it claims to be a case of union busting.  According to N.T.U.C.B. President Dylan Reneau, there are a number of concerns being raised among unions at the Social Security Board and Belize Electricity Limited.  Reneau also says the issue of Perriott’s relocation to Dangriga which eventually led to a forced resignation is reminiscent of his transfer to Punta Gorda in 2005 amidst unrest over political and financial reform within government.

Dylan Reneau, President, N.T.U.C.B.

Paul is still the First Vice President of the N.T.U.C.B. and he has kept us abreast of what has been happening.  [Uhm] his situation, his problem started when he started making a move towards getting the twenty percent of B.T.L. which is for the workers under that trust agreement.  The first thing that happened was that he was transferred.  They said it was a promotion [but] he considered it a demotion because he was doing other things and it brought me back to 2005 when I had to go through a similar situation and I can feel for Paul and his situation because, you know, we‘ve seen his house being up for, to be sold, auctioned in the newspapers.  That has a tremendous burden and now losing his job, you know, compounds that situation and I think that it was unfair for B.T.L. to put the pressure that they did on Paul to the point where he was so frustrated that he decided he couldn’t take it any longer. Actually there are several issues happening.  Just to give you a brief you have the B.C.W.U. situation.  What is happening at B.T.L. is that well the workers told us last night that there are some policies being changed.  People are being threatened for termination and they take it very seriously because of what transpired with Paul.  So that sort of thing at B.C.W.U., I mean at B.T.L., has created some unease with workers.  We have a situation also brewing at BEL because there, the management and union, while they’re trying to work at it they are still at odds on certain issues and now we have another situation brewing at the Social Security Board between the CWU and the Social Security Board.   For me all of those things are creating an unease.  It seems as if though the unions are being targeted unfairly, some because they want salary increase, some because they want their rights to be upheld.  I think it’s creating a situation where, you know, you have a scared cat in a corner and when the trade unions lash out I am hoping that managements of the major companies can deal with the situation that will arise out of something like that.”