Minister of Labor speaks on dispute over the appointment of Danini Contreras

Danini Contreras

The new, not yet approved Director of Drug Inspectorate, Danini Contreras, has become a highly controversial figure. She is the daughter of U.D.P. Minister Erwin Contreras, and technical experts including Director of Health Services Michael Pitts say she is the wrong person for the job. Still, the Ministry of Health seems intent on pushing the appointment through, and the Public service Union has gotten into the picture. The union has taken the matter before the Minister of Labour, declaring it an essential services dispute. Today Minister of Labour Godwin Hulse told News Five that they’re trying to ascertain if there is really a dispute, then they’ll take it from there.

Godwin Hulse, Minister of Labor

Godwin Hulse

“We are working on it. Let me say to you that the Labour Commissioner who is the person that is responsible has written back to them. I think in fact he wrote to them yesterday to say please outline the areas of dispute, because the letter asked us to please intervene in the dispute, but the areas of the dispute have not been detailed. So first of all we have to be clear that there is a dispute. Normally a dispute arises between the employee and the employer. And in this case the dispute is not between the employee and the employer – the employer being the Government of Belize and the employee in question being Ms. Contreras, and there seems to be no dispute between them. So the department wants to be clear where the areas of dispute are before we can take it up so I am trusting and hoping that before the end of the week we will get back a response from them and we can move on the matter one way or the other.”

Hulse says that contrary to reports that the situation must be resolved within twenty one days, the Labour Department’s interpretation is that they are only obligated to respond within twenty-one days. They have done so, which means that there is no definitive deadline set for a decision on the matter.