B.C.W.U. still not happy with terms of reference

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” That phrase was made famous in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, but it seems to apply in what feels like the never ending saga to finalise the terms of reference for the arbitration panel that will investigate the firing of three employees of Belize Telecommunications Limited. On Thursday’s newscast, we featured an interview with Minister of Labour Francis Fonseca who declared that the terms of reference had been agreed upon. But a press release issued today by the Belize Communication Workers Union’s Christine Perriott voices “deep dissatisfaction” with the Minister’s comments. According to Perriott, the union continues to complain that the terms of reference do not “reflect the real nature of the reported dispute”. In addition, B.C.W.U. is also making a case to have the venue of the tribunal moved from Belmopan to Belize City. The union says their calculations put the cost of related legal fees, travel, food and lodging in the capital city at approximately thirty-four thousand dollars. On the other hand, B.C.W.U. claims that figure would drop by almost half, to approximately eighteen thousand dollars if the tribunal is held in Belize City.