Butane strike over for now with $10 price hike

Over the weekend the nation remained short of its most popular cooking fuel as the dispute between butane dealers and government had yet to be resolved. News Five’s Janelle Chanona hit the streets this morning and reports that as the gas ran out, Belizeans were responding in different ways.

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Today business owners across the old capital were feeling the pressure of the butane industry’s sales strike.

Tami Li, Li Chee Fry Chicken
“No gas, last night. Yesterday no open, one day. I buy the chicken, I can’t cook. I buy the potato, I can’t cook. I can’t open. I think today half day, no more gas.”

Across town at the Radisson Fort George, there’s enough butane until Thursday, but they’re keeping a careful watch on the situation.

Jim Scott, General Manager, Radisson Fort George
“We use butane for both cooking and hot water; it would be a major blow for us commercially. We garnish a lot of daily revenue from our food and beverage outlets, which rely on the gas and of course our customers expect hot water. I think when both parties sit down, hopefully, they’ll be able to work it out.”

Janelle Chanona
“So if you don’t get gas by the end of the week, what’s the plan B?”

Jim Scott
“I gwain da Belmopan with everybody else. [laughs] Yeah, I think they obviously need to work it out. Hopefully everybody sits down reasonably and professionally they’ll be able to do that this week.”

At a press conference last Friday, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas importers and distributors promised an indefinite strike until the Government raised the control price of butane by nineteen dollars.

Tami Li
“That too expensive, you know? The chicken only two dala fu sell, you know.”

But today, businesses and homemakers alike reacted negatively to the new proposed rates.

Laura Rudon
“This da weh we come to da Belize, fi come back like old times noh? Everything come right back again.”

And according to Laura Rudon, she’ll use the fire hearth indefinitely if she has to.

Laura Rudon
“I noh di pay da hundred and thirty dollars fu gas; I’m not paying it for that. I can’t afford fi pay fi that, cannot and I’m not–we’re not doing it. And I think all the ladies weh cook inna the house, weh da housewife shoulda come together and say the same thing. We shoulda have a whole group ah woman saying the same thing, disagreeing, because if we noh buy the gas, den people noh wah sell it. So they have to come down with the price.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.

In late breaking news, Financial Secretary Joe Waight informed us tonight that following meetings today between Prime Minister Said Musa and the five L.P.G. importers, the retailers have agreed to cancel their strike. According to Waight, the distributors have accepted the ten dollar hike announced last Friday and committed to meeting in two weeks to review the control prices. Waight maintained that the two sides now better understand each other’s position and in that context, Government has agreed to determine whether the present price formula is still effective and will also review the possibility of removing G.S.T. from the commodity. Overall, Waight told us it was a constructive dialogue and there was a commitment to avoid any brinkmanship in future. As for the contention that G.O.B. was not sticking to the control price mechanism, Waight says the technocrats were able to show the importers how G.O.B.’s price was arrived at and highlighted that not all importers are buying butane at the same price.