N.T.U.C.B. fiery release at government on Occupational Health and Safety Bill
Marvin Mora
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize says the government is nonchalant where the safety of employees is concerned. That is the basis for a fiery release sent out over the weekend. The matter on the table is the Occupational Health and Safety Bill, which addresses working conditions, equipment and safety requirements for employees. The draft is the result of a decade of work, and has gotten no closer to being passed into legislation. According to the N.T.U.C.B. release, it can no longer tolerate the fact that the government refuses to give consideration to the workers of the nation. Additionally, the N.T.U.C.B. states, “as of today, we rally the troops as we prepare to right the wrongs, multiple, mind you, in our beloved land.” (According to second vice president of the N.T.U.C.B., Marvin Mora, the neglect of government where the bill is concerned strikes at the very heart of unionism.
Marvin Mora, 2nd Vice President, N.T.U.C.B.
“This draft law really is a piece of law that protects the worker at the workplace. It speaks to personal protective equipment (P.P.E.s) and other safety requirements that workers would have to abide by as well as the employers themselves. They would have to abide by those particular guidelines that this piece of law would set into place which would protect workers and it would also serve to protect property and the general public. It would also help the Social Security to minimize some of the claims. So everybody stands to win if this draft act was to be passed into law. It has gone through all the checks that it needs to go through. It went to Cabinet and as far as we are concerned they did not entertain it. And we’ve been trying to get them. The last thing that we did when we confronted the Minister of Labour at what we call a ‘mek we chat’ between the N.T.U.C.B. and the Minister of Labour at the Biltmore Hotel, we explained to him what was on the table and we urged him to please take on the responsibilities of putting it to the Cabinet and putting it through the House. He said he would. So far we have not seen any movement on his behalf.”
Reporter
“How long ago was that?”
Marvin Mora
“Months…months. You have to understand that a lot of people are getting hurt. A lot of people go to work and get hurt because they are not protected the way they should be protected. That in essence strikes at the very heart of unionism. We are our brothers’ keepers. The N.T.U.C.B. is the one that is supposed to be looking out for the brothers, especially the ones that don’t have a voice. Meanwhile government is taking their time to address this issue people are getting hurt and people are running the risk of losing their lives and some have lost their lives. Remember that issue that happened at B.S.I. when a worker got burnt by some steam. He died afterwards. There’s no law that will protect his family, no law that will protect him…he’s dead.”
The B.S.I. employee Mora is referring to is Edward Robinson, who was burned to ninety percent of his body due to equipment malfunction at the factory in January 2010. He later succumbed to his injuries.
