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The Public Service Union is calling on the Labour Commissioner, Anne Marie Thompson to stay out of matters that do not concern her. This is in response to Tuesday’s written statement by Thompson calling out the unions for acting ‘unlawfully’ by blocking highways and bridges. The Labour Commissioner condemned those actions and also out the […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Responds to Labour Commissioner Statement
The Minister responsible for Labour, Oscar Requeña sought to put the Labour Commissioner’s statement in context, during his appearance on Channel Five’s Open Your Eyes. Minister Requeña argues the statement is not a scare tactic, but that the Commissioner is seeking to highlight the best interests of everyone, including citizens affected by the road blockades. […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Minister of Labour Says Unions Cannot Block the Roads
President Henry argues the Labour Commission’s release is an intimidation tactic. Other tactic, he says, include personal attacks on his fellow union leaders. Henry contends, however, no one will be able to dig up anything to try and use against him. Gerald Henry, President, P.S.U. “The only thing that has been happening is threats […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Leader Says Intimidation Tactics Won’t Work
A resident of Ladyville was killed at his home on Monday night, but his body was not discovered by his relatives until Tuesday evening. It is believed Lincoln Erskine lost his life following an altercation with his neighbors. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. Isani Cayetano, Reporting Fifty-eight-year-old Lincoln Erskine was stabbed to death inside […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Lincoln Erskine Killed in Ladyville
What was most feared about the reopening of in-person learning at schools has happened. Today, a number of parents did not send their children to school at two primary schools in Belize City after word spread like wildfire on Monday night that there was a high possibility that COVID-19 was detected in a few students. […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Casino Connection: Students and Teacher Positive for COVID-19
Contact tracing is continuing after the COVID-19 outbreak at the Princess Casino in Belize City that started on May fifteenth. As you heard just now, the Central Health Region surveillance team has been able to link positive cases at Queen’s Square Anglican School and Wesley Primary School in Belize City. They are also urging anyone […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Contact Tracing Continues after Outbreak at Princess Casino
Today marks seventeen consecutive days that the unions have been on strike. This is historic. No union in Belize has ever undertaken strike actions for such an extended period. On Monday, we saw main thoroughfares across the country being blocked by protestors and now, protesters are getting more creative in their attempts to get public […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Unions “Bury” Corruption
The Joint Unions Negotiating Team held a press conference at the headquarters of the Belize National Teachers Union in Belize City. During the briefing, B.N.T.U. National President, Senator Elena Smith brought to light several omissions that were made in government’s proposal last Thursday. According to Smith, despite meeting with government representatives and agreeing on certain […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on J.U.N.T. and G.O.B.: A Tale of Two Agreements
Of concern for the Public Service Union is the fact that a definitive timeline has not been set for when a reduction in the salaries of ministers and other high-level government officials comes into effect. Coupled with that, says P.S.U. President Gerald Henry, is also the fact that community votes are never audited. That’s an […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Says Area Rep Funds Go Unchecked
The offers made by PM Briceño to the unions last Thursday are, for all intents and purposes, government’s final proposal. There is no date for when both sides return to the table, however, the unions plan on formally responding to the prime minister’s offer in the days ahead. Senator Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U. […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Unions Will Respond to G.O.B.’s Latest Offer
Government’s proposal to issue teachers and public officers with promissory notes, as part of the package being offered to the unions, is yet to materialize. Despite an agreement which they say was approved by the Prime Minister, that understanding was never formalized. As for the docking of salaries for teachers who are paid directly by […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Unions Respond to Threat of Pay Cuts for Government-paid Teachers
The Ministry of Labour has issued a statement this evening reminding unions and their membership to adhere to the laws of Belize during all protest activities. In particular, the Ministry points out that the blocking of highways and bridges are “unlawful actions which are not internationally recognized industrial action nor those permitted by our domestic […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Protesters Told: “Don’t Break the Law”
If you were on the nation’s highways this morning, you were probably among the hundreds of people unable to get to work on time as striking teachers staged their second blockage. Now in day-sixteen of their strike, the teachers are ramping it up and in one community out west, there was some trouble with tires. […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Protesting Teachers Arrested In Benque
Benque Viejo del Carmen was not the only hotspot for protest activity this morning. All over Belize, bridges and main intersections along the highways became impassable as early as seven a.m. when vehicles belonging to teachers coincidentally began experiencing mechanical issues. They were left in the middle of the roads for up to an hour, […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Teachers Block Major Highways
Did the industrial action carried out by teachers today catch the Belize Police Department by surprise or were they prepared? The images from across the country show that in most of the areas where the blockades were set up, there was heavy police presence. ComPol Chester Williams says that while the officers are exercising restraint, […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on ComPol Chester Williams Says Demonstrations are Getting Frustrating
The logjam between the unions and government persists as the longest strike on record since the eleven-day industrial action taken by teachers in 2016. On Thursday, Prime Minister John Briceño addressed the nation in a prepared statement during which he presented his administration’s latest position without first meeting with the unions. This morning on Channel […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Did PM’s Address Drive a Wedge between Union Leaders and Members?
President of the Belize National Teachers Union, Elena Smith, was also on “Open Your Eyes” today. She feels the Prime Minister’s decision to address the nation instead of meeting with the Joint Unions Negotiating Team, gave the impression that the union leadership was not being entirely transparent with the information being conveyed. Senator Elena […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on B.N.T.U. President Smith Says PM’s Speech Undermined Union Leadership
There was a fatal shooting in the Trench Town are of Belize City on Friday evening. Forty-three-year-old Francis Gordon was gunned down while sitting near a boat when a gunman emerged on the scene. The unknown individual took aim at the Kraal Road resident and opened fire, fatally injuring him. According to investigators, Gordon’s murder […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Kirk Gordon is Slain in Latest Belize City Shooting
One woman is dead following a weekend traffic mishap on the George Price Highway. Ronda Burgess was travelling with Earlyn Young and several other passengers in a Chevy Equinox when it overturned. According to police, Young was attempting to overtake a truck. In the process, he lost control of the vehicle. The passengers sustained varying […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Woman Killed in Weekend Accident
An outbreak of COVID-19 among employees of Princess Casino has forced a temporary closure just one month after gambling establishments were allowed to resume operations. On Saturday, personnel from the Ministry of Health and Wellness conducted tests on eighty-two staff members as part of its active surveillance and testing initiative. What they discovered was that […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Outbreak of COVID-19 at Princess Casino
Health officials were back at the Princess Casino this morning to oversee the full sanitization of the facility. Doctor Diaz-Musa also provided a breakdown of the symptoms being exhibited by those who tested positive for COVID-19 at the casino. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Manager, Central Health Region “Definitely recommendations that we have been able […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Princess Casino Closes for Contact Tracing and Sanitization
Another suspected drug plane touched down overnight in a remote area of Blue Creek, Orange Walk District. The aircraft was one of three business jets that departed from South America on Thursday night. The flight paths were shared with Belizean authorities and despite the deployment of law enforcement officers to that vicinity, the airplane appeared […]
Written on May 14, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on One of Three Suspected Drug Planes Lands Near Blue Creek
According to Musa, while police and B.D.F. personnel were dispatched to the area within a half hour of its landing, the heavily armed welcoming committee had wasted no time in clearing the contents of the aircraft. The fact that these airplanes continue to make landfall in certain parts of the country raises suspicion of the […]
Written on May 14, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Narcos Offload Drug Plane in Record Time
Reports of yet another aircraft, this one landing near Little Belize in Corozal District also surfaced this morning. The Belize Defense Force Air Wing provided aerial support but up to midday could not locate the so-called second drug plane. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs “We are getting information that one was seen flying […]
Written on May 14, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on No Sight of Second Suspected Drug Plane Near Little Belize
Is the P.S.U. on the verge of ending their strike? Well, according to one of their leaders, Dean Flowers, the majority of its membership surveyed overnight indicated they are in favour of accepting government’s latest proposals. While those consultations will continue throughout the weekend, the P.S.U. is expected to reach an official position by Monday. […]
Written on May 14, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PSU members Lean Towards Accepting GOB Proposals
