Perriott returns to work without incident

Compared to the high drama surrounding her ups and downs as a prominent union activist, today’s court ordered return to work of Christine Perriott was something of an anticlimax. When she showed up at B.T.L.’s Regent Street offices this morning, the Internet technician was admitted without incident and she told us later that she was given a substantial workload. Perriott was fired from Belize Telecommunications Limited on February twenty-seventh. She claims it was “union busting” since she is also the General Secretary of the Belize Communication Workers Union, which was and is locked in a dispute with B.T.L. over the previous firing of three workers. Management has maintained that Perriott’s services were terminated due to “deteriorating relations” between her and the company. She filed a lawsuit against her employer shortly after her termination, but the substantive matter has yet to reach trial. However, in early April, the judge presiding over the case, Justice John Muria, ruled that until a final ruling is handed down, Perriott must be reinstated. The company took her back, but placed Perriott on “special paid leave.” On Thursday, the judge ruled that in doing so, B.T.L. violated the court’s order and placed the company in contempt of court. Attorneys for both sides are scheduled to meet again next week to argue over a financial sanction for that offence. Until a ruling in the substantive case, Christine Perriott will remain a hardworking member of the B.T.L. staff.