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Several more children from Stella Maris School were given the gift of language – or the ability to communicate that language – when they received electronic devices with a special app. News Five was at today’s happy handing over. Andrea Polanco, Reporting Seven students from Stella Maris each received a tablet through the partnership […]
Written on May 20, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Tablets Give the Gift of Voice to Stella Maris Students
In better days, Belizeans were encouraged to shop ‘til we drop and conspicuous consumption was the order of the day. But gone are the weekend trips to Chetumal just to purchase laundry detergent and groceries. With the financial crunch that the country is facing, many have turned to buying less or smaller different quantities than […]
Written on May 20, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Shop Now Belize is Retail to Suit the Financially Challenged
It may not have been part of larger strike actions, but today, there was a spontaneous walkout at the Philip Goldson International Airport. Employees there were incensed over management’s decision to place four members of the Civil Aviation Department on leave. Other public officers, wearing their yellow shirts, also showed up to stand in solidarity […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Civil Aviation Employees Walk Off the Job
Even as the employees, including air traffic control crew, abandoned their posts today in protest, they notified regional partners of the situation. However, it is up to the Civil Aviation Department and the ministry to officially call a lockdown of the airport. And they were not having it. According to Minister Andre Perez and Civil […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Civil Aviation Department Activates Contingency Plan
As we have seen over the past few weeks, it was once again the teachers union leading the charge in Belmopan today. And once again, they bused in from all over the country. This time, there was a church service on the Governor General Field before a march around the Belmopan Ring Road as they […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. President: Some of Our Members Don’t Know Their Own Power
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
One of the guest speakers at today’s union event in Belmopan Kerm Thimbrel recounted meetings he held with former President of the N.T.U.C.B. Marvin Mora back in 2020. Thimbriel says allegations that these rallies are politically motivated are untrue, because of the unions’ tract record. However, he does not support road blockades. Kerm Thimbrel, […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Rally Speaker Points to Past Movements; Disavows Roadblocks
On the issue of the ten percent salary cut for teachers and public officers, today P.S.U. Vice President Dean Flowers questioned the involvement, or the lack thereof, of the private sector. According to Flowers, private sector businesses stand to be most affected as the move by government is removing in excess of two hundred million […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Vice Prez: Where is the Private Sector?
The Joint Unions Negotiating Team is preparing its response to government’s most recent proposal, which was made public last Wednesday during a prepared address by Prime Minister John Briceño. Education Minister Francis Fonseca, sat on the government’s negotiating team. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education “Based on that consultation and that discussion, the joint unions […]
Written on May 19, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Fonseca Says G.O.B. has Addressed Union Concerns
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”
A new statutory instrument which extends the curfew hour on Thursdays comes into effect at twelve midnight. The S.I. says the new curfew hours are twelve midnight to five in the morning, from Thursday to Saturday. The curfew hours for Sunday to Wednesday remain at ten in the night to five in the morning. The […]
Written on May 18, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Thursday Added to Later Curfew Time
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
For the next thirty days, movement will remain restricted by curfew hours. Over the weekend a new S.I. came into effect, extending the curfew for an additional thirty days. There was some confusion when the last S.I. expired on May fifteenth with many Belizeans questioning whether the curfew was still in effect. To clarify, ComPol […]
Written on May 17, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on ComPol Says He Was Just Sharing Curfew S.I. as a Courtesy
The small crowd of union protestors that were out today shouted no to government’s proposals. This afternoon, before she entered today’s meeting with government officials, which is ongoing up to news time; President of the Belize National Teachers Union Elena Smith addressed protestors. She wasted no time responding to the Prime Minister’s Facebook speech on […]
Written on May 13, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on President Smith Calls Out PM Briceño on G.O.B. Proposals
