As the Prime Minister examines his options, workers at B.T.L. say they are fed up with foreign ownership and will settle for nothing less than putting the company back in Belizean hands. President of Belize Communication Workers Union, Paul Perriot and Management Representative Dale Trujeque, say it’s time for the Prime Minister to act on […]
While B.T.L. workers were pushing Belmopan for local ownership, the National Trade Union Congress announced plans to keep up the pressure on Government over increased taxes. According to a release received this evening from the N.T.U.C.B., the Public Service Union is instituting an indefinite go slow/work to rule action effective immediately. The N.T.U.C.B. has also […]
Prices for water will be going up, but not by as much as Belize Water Services requested. The Public Utilities Commission has announced its initial decision on the B.W.S.L. request for an annual tariff review based on “exceptional circumstances”. The P.U.C. rejected that part of the B.W.S. submission dealing with increased chemical costs but agreed […]
It was promised as part of the historic agreement negotiated between Government and the nation’s labour unions…and today that commitment to investigate the Development Finance Corporation is about to become a reality. Three members of the Commission of Inquiry have been appointed. Herbert Lord is the government nominee, Merlene Bailey Martinez is the union nominee, […]
With regard to the telecommunications mess Smith reaffirmed his government’s preference for Belizean ownership of B.T.L. That possibility also received some top-level support today in the form of a letter to Sunrise Investments, the Belizean company owned by three local B.T.L. executives that are seeking to buy the majority B.T.L. shares from Government. While acknowledging […]
Much ado about nothing. That’s the conclusion of Belize Telecommunications executives in response to a nasty letter sent by Jeffrey Prosser, claiming that the signing of a March first memorandum of understanding between BTL and Speednet was in violation of an order by a Miami Court. Prosser, in a March fourth letter to Speednet telling […]
As Belizean businesses grapple to deal with high operational costs and intense global competition, the ability to tap profitably into world markets might mean the difference between success and failure. In that context, over the next three days, local government agencies and private sector representatives are meeting with their counterparts from the Caribbean to produce […]
With much of the nation’s energy tied up in a public debate over rising taxes, falling public expenditures and their impact on Belizean life, today’s announcement could not have come at a worse time. According to releases from Belize Electricity Limited and the Public Utilities Commission, B.E.L. has filed documents with the P.U.C. applying for […]
Tonight there is a major new plot twist in the continuing drama surrounding the fate of Belize Telecommunications Limited. What had been a story of two suitors, each competing for the favours of the lovely maiden known as B.T.L., has suddenly become a three-way competition…and while the new boy at B.T.L.’S door doesn’t have the […]
While suitors, new and old, fought over its affections, today B.T.L.’s DigiCell got a “Smart” competitor. That’s the name of the newest service to throw its hat into the telecommunications ring. Smart, offshoot of Speednet Communications Limited, today held its soft launch. With its interconnection agreement with Belize Telecommunications Limited now in operation, this afternoon […]
We went through this a month ago so there?s no need to dwell too long on it again tonight. Effective today increased excise tax on beer, rum, soft drinks and cigarettes will make the cost of these items rise, in some cases substantially. While it appears that manufacturers and retailers used the one-month suspension period […]
The name Capital Life is a familiar one in Belize, but beginning this week it will be preceded by a new title that may not be so well known–Sagicor. The president and CEO of Sagicor Capital Life is in town to explain why the change is more than just cosmetic. David O?Brien, President, CEO, Sagicor […]
Called “the cost of power forum”, it is part of a highly charged process in the first full tariff review proceedings for Belize Electricity Limited, which will ultimately determine the new rates of the essential service for the next four years. Organized by the Public Utilities Commission, for the rest of the month, a power […]
Never mind that all over the world big companies are coming together to get even bigger…in Belize merger mania has never really caught on. But things may be changing. This week the country’s two largest insurance companies, Regent and F&G, announced that come April first they will become one, joining forces to create a new […]
Statistics for last year’s tourist arrivals are in and they confirm that Belize’s biggest industry is getting even bigger. The number of bona fide visitors passing through the Philip Goldson International Airport increased by seven percent over 2003. Arrivals through all ports of entry, including the P.G.I.A. plus Western and Northern borders along with Dangriga […]
Government continues to hold its cards close to the chest today following Wednesday’s decision to take back majority ownership in Belize Telecommunications Ltd. Reports indicate that the company’s operations remain unaffected as longtime financial controller Gaspar Aguilar slid over into the CEO’s chair. Apparently there were no ugly scenes in the corporate suite as, coincidentally, […]
It involved all day negotiations and by five thirty, government was confident enough to break its silence and issue a press release. No, we are not talking about the ongoing dispute between Belmopan and the unions. This high wire act involves government’s apparent decision to take back control of Belize Telecommunications Limited, following Jeffrey Prosser’s […]
As if it didn’t have enough to worry about, the Government of Belize is once again under assault over its handling of the telecommunications industry. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Jeffrey Prosser’s Innovative Communications Corporation has failed to meet the deadline to come up with the fifty-seven million U.S. dollars it still owes […]
While the big boys sort out their multi-million dollar differences, consumers on the ground still face the uncertainty spawned by the February first tax increases and their subsequent–perhaps temporary–repeal. Today I went out on a shopping trip and found that while most prices have returned to January levels, some people have been left holding the […]
There are developments on the labour front tonight as Belize’s unions and private sector meet with government and amongst themselves. But while the strike by teachers and public officers continues for the ninth and fourth day respectively, Belize’s consumers are for the first time feeling the direct effects of government’s new budget and its increased […]
United we stand, divided we fall. That’s the message Belize’s striking labour unions have been sending out for weeks. But that credo applies far beyond industrial or political disputes. Today a group of well organised tour guides put the ideal of collective action into practice. Stewart Krohn, Reporting If you?ve ever been lucky enough to […]
The Social Investment Fund today received over a million dollars for use in community projects in different parts of the country. During brief ceremonies at the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute training room, CEO in the Ministry of National Development, Hugh O’Brien, handed over the cheque to SIF’s Executive Director Oscar Alonzo. Alonzo told […]
For their part, Belize’s two main private sector groups have asked their members to close their doors on Thursday and Friday. It is not clear how many businesses will comply with the request but a check around Belize City indicates that a significant number will remain open. We are assured by a spokesman for the […]
It would normally be the leading news of the day, if not the week, but today?s second session of hearings by the Senate Select Committee investigating Social Security was largely overshadowed by other events. In the long run, however, it may prove more important. First to testify this morning was former financial secretary Joseph Waight, […]
It has as many twists as the Hummingbird Highway and today the sad saga of Belize Telecommunications Limited took a new turn. In a press release today the company announced that its board had decided to reverse its decision to issue twenty-four million new BTL shares and instead will acquire the assets of the bankrupt […]
