COLA, for some time, has been calling for the head of the Foreign Minister Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington. Their campaign started when an effigy of the Minister was burnt in front of the offices of the O.A.S. off Coney Drive. The advocacy organization has consistently said that Elrington has not represented the best interests of Belize. […]
With time running out, this morning and during the lunch hour, employees at all branches of the First Caribbean Bank were protesting since they have been unable to reach agreement with the Bank over an exit package. Their actions started with sick outs and have now escalated to protests. Now, the is bank is considered […]
Matura-Shepherd says that the Bank is plain disrespectful towards the workers and is holding them to ransom unwilling to negotiate. Aside from the exit package, there is the issue of the CBA that the workers want concluded before the bank leaves Belize. Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President, C.W.U. “We tried to start negotiations because at first […]
According to Matura-Shepherd, the union has been unable to get a response on the exit date of F.C.I.B. She believes that information has to be known. Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President, C.W.U. “When are you leaving? Give us an idea; don’t hold us at random. Management claimed that they don’t know when they are leaving. So […]
This morning at the ITVET in Belize City, political parties, their prospective candidates, as well as all public officers assigned to the upcoming general elections met to discuss a comprehensive plan of action come November fourth. As it stands, there are a number of policies in place. Likewise, there are regulations that govern the election […]
On Thursday, BPP’s national campaign manager Robert ‘Bobby’ Lopez called to question the Election and Boundaries Department’s lateness in releasing the voters list. Lopez told the media during a press conference that the department seems to be pussyfooting with the delivery of the list. Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer “With my greatest respect for […]
While the BPP has lashed out against the Elections and Boundaries Department concerning its tardiness in distributing the voters list, Tamai told the media this morning that the revision of that list is a monthly exercise. In fact, she says that a digital copy of the list had been forwarded to the organization’s headquarters in […]
As we told you on Thursday, the Prime Minister hosted an economic forum which charts a course for public/private collaboration on the development of the country. It’s an initiative which has been hailed as a success, and one of the highlights has been the formation of an economic development council. Mike Rudon was at the […]
Today, members of the private and public sectors converged on the city for the Prime Minister’s business forum at the Biltmore Plaza. We’ll have a comprehensive look at that event in a later newscast. But tonight, we have what the Prime Minister Dean Barrow says was his last media interview before elections. There are a […]
Barrow says that in the years since the nationalization, G.O.B. and the people have collected eighty million dollars in dividends, so we should all be happy to relieve B.T.L. of the additional burden. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “They make a lot of money which is shared in terms of dividends, in terms of the […]
The PM also spoke on the operation of the Public Accounts Committee…which actually isn’t operational. Months ago there was a push for the inclusion of the social partners in the PAC, to the extent that neither the government nor the opposition would form a majority. That never panned out because the government refused to accept […]
That stance doesn’t go down well with PAC Chairman Julius Espat. He told News Five today that the reason the Public Accounts Committee doesn’t work, and hasn’t for a long time is because the government is a majority on that committee, and it is over those ministers that the PAC is designed to provide oversight. […]
Governments of the P.U.P. and the U.D.P. have both been accused, rightly or wrongly, of rampant corruption and unchecked abuse of public monies. For that reason, many believe that this next general election will hinge largely on which party is willing to limit its own power and allow for real oversight. The body which theoretically […]
We’re not sure what that means where the fate of the Integrity Commission is concerned under this administration. As to PAC, well…that’s not going to happen, a fact for which the PM, interestingly, blames the Opposition. Reporter “If that is the situation, does that mean that you will not have an Integrity Commission since […]
We note that all that’s being said on all these issues is subject to a decision which will be made on November fourth. Which brings us to Petrocaribe. Will those many millions at the U.D.P.’s disposal be used to affect the result at the polls? According to Prime Minister Dean Barrow….while there is no direct […]
The Bar Association’s request to the CCJ to make available their decisions on the nationalizations of B.E.L. and B.T.L. hasn’t thrilled the government or its attorney. And even if those decisions are provided, it wouldn’t affect the terms of the settlement which have already been signed and sealed. Still, the Prime Minister doesn’t believe that […]
There was another protest today on the heels of the ongoing Social Security demonstrations. The faculty and staff of the University of Belize staged a small demonstration this morning at its Belmopan campus. The protest succeeds an ultimatum given to UB President Alan Slusher as it concerns a demand for a fourteen percent salary increase […]
Barrow says that unrest at this time as regards industrial action and threats of the same are to be expected with the imminent approach of elections. But with that said, those attempts to pull government’s hand will be unsuccessful. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Part of the democracy and I suppose to be expected since […]
Since the beginning of the week, we’ve been reporting that S.S.B. employees who are members of the Christian Workers Union have been protesting during their lunch break at S.S.B. offices countrywide. On Wednesday afternoon, they all walked out of the offices claiming they were not feeling well. But there are a series of events that […]
At the core of the problem is the collective bargaining agreement, which according to the CWU reps, the S.S.B. has refrained from discussing. That CBA includes salary adjustments for the employees. According to union reps, they are asking for sixteen percent across the three-year period 2014, 2015, 2016. The issues of the uniform and the […]
According to CWU President Audrey Matura-Shepherd, this crisis could have been averted since last November, when the board was requested by the union to start negotiations on the collective bargaining agreement for its members. Matura-Shepherd went on the defensive to call out the chairman of S.S.B., Doug Singh, saying that the staff is being used […]
Audrey Matura-Shepherd’s name has come up as a likely candidate for electoral politics in more than one party. Recently, in the instance of the new Belize Progressive Party which is recruiting candidates for the general elections, her name was top of the list. When we caught up with her at an event, Matura-Shepherd was clearly […]
The Bi-Annual General Meeting of the Caribbean Regional Organization of Standards and Qualities, also known as CROS-Q, is being held in Belize. Fifteen standards departments from across the Caribbean are converging to set policies and practices for best standards and quality in the region. Locally, Belize’s Bureau of Standards monitors the quality and performance of […]
Community Policing moved today to Buttonwood Bay in the city. While the area is relatively crime free, it is congested with businesses which means that the flow of traffic is constant. According to the police department, residents need to be alert as they traverse through the area. Supt. Linden Flowers, O.C., Precinct 4 “We […]
Denys Barrow, who is the brother of Prime Minister Dean Barrow, has also been a target in the Opposition People’s United Party’s campaign. The P.U.P. says that he has been paid millions in legal fees as G.O.B.’s lawyer of choice. The attorney hasn’t been fazed by the negative attention. He told News Five today that […]
