2025 - Greater Belize Media

NTUCB: “A Movement to Make Our Citizens Conscious”

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) marked its 59th anniversary on Saturday with a march and rally under the theme “Only the People Can Save the People.”

Several unions gathered in Belize City to call for better governance, respect for workers’ rights, and economic fairness while celebrating almost six decades of existence.

“Having all these people out here on a Saturday shows that they are interested in what they do as workers, and it also shows that they want serious change in Belize… when it comes to good governance, when it comes to union respect, and to systematic change,” NTUCB President Ella Waight told News 5.

That demand for change was a central message from Public Service Union President Dean Flowers, who said the rally was about demanding accountability. “It is ensuring that we hold the government accountable, ensuring that the monies that are being collected by way of our taxes and the leakages that are occurring cease so that there can be fairer wages, better living standards, and better quality public service.”

Flowers added that the prolonged negotiations with the government showed the unions the value of “strategic organisation.” An important element is that he said he will be “sharing with other affiliates in terms of how to organise because you organise to win; you don’t organise to lose.”

NTUCB President Ella Waight echoed that notion, stating that the rally and recent negotiations are part of a larger effort to awaken public awareness. “Not a movement to agitate, not a movement to demonstrate, but a movement to make our citizens conscious of what the NTUCB stands for and for what we are out here for, to ensure we have good governance and we have a country that is prosperous in the future.”

Darrell Bradley Calls for ‘Real’ UDP Unity Amid Ongoing Infighting

Former Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley is weighing in on the ongoing internal rifts within the United Democratic Party (UDP). During his appearance on OYE today, Bradley warned that the party’s disunity is hurting Belize’s democracy and robbing the public of a real alternative to the current government.

“I’m hopeful that the United Democratic Party could get it together and the party could emerge unified on the one leader. And I’m also disheartened because within the democratic space you need an opposition,” Bradley said.

He added that Belize’s two-party system is vital for healthy democracy and accountability, but he believes the UDP is failing to deliver that right now. “You need two vibrant, well organized, robust parties that offer people a division. And it was obvious in the last election that we didn’t really have that choice. And when you don’t have that choice, you don’t really have a spirited public debate about options and where we want to move the country forward,” he explained.

He also pointed out that the lack of a strong formal opposition in the National Assembly cripples the checks and balances of governance. “You need a formal opposition in the centers of government so in the National Assembly, in the house meetings and the Senate, that can get access to information that is there when legislation is being passed, and that can put that perspective to represent a different voice. And without that, our democracy is really crippled,” Bradley said.

Bradley made it clear that the UDP’s current infighting distracts from its real mission: to present Belizeans with a meaningful alternative. “All of this is noise. No one cares about that. Get it together and lead a vision for the country that offers people a viable option to move the country forward.”

On Saturday, the UDP held its National Party Council meeting in Belize City. The gathering aimed to reinstate expelled or suspended members and address internal issues, but tensions flared when Patrick Faber, former party leader and current senator, entered uninvited.

Chairman Mike Peyrefitte accused Faber of disrupting the session, forcing the group to continue voting online via WhatsApp. The main resolution seeks to reinstate all affected members except Faber, whom Peyrefitte called “disrespectful.” Faber argued he did not need an invitation and claimed his expulsion was ruled illegal.

Belizean Involved in Hit and Run in Melchor Dies

Adrian Venicio Cruz, a resident of Benque Viejo del Carmen, has reportedly succumbed to injuries after being knocked by a vehicle in Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, over the weekend.

He had been hospitalised following the accident. According to reports, Cruz sustained head and body injuries.

Following the accident, one family member explained that Cruz had travelled to Melchor to purchase items for his farm.

The driver of the vehicle remains unknown.

The family is making preparations to bring his body to Belize.

Belize Volleyball Team Stuck in Guatemala Protest

The Belizean men’s national volleyball team is ‘stuck’ in Guatemala after encountering a road blockade during their return trip from El Salvador. The team had just competed in the Centroamericano de Voleibol Mayor Masculino Final Four in San Salvador and set out for Belize shortly after midnight.

Team member Bryton Codd told News 5, “So we left San Salvador, El Salvador this morning at about midnight. We’ve been traveling for about seven hours already. We were stuck in some part of Guatemala right before the cut-off to go towards Belize. But we cannot pass.”

According to Codd, the team was caught in what appears to be a teachers’ protest that has completely blocked the road. “We don’t know how long this protest is gonna last, but it is a protest. The road is blocked. We can’t move. We’re stuck, we’re exhausted, we’re tired. We don’t know when this is gonna end,” he said.

Reports from locals suggested the demonstration could end by mid-afternoon, but the team remains uncertain. “We’re just hoping that it remains peaceful and it doesn’t erupt into any type of civil unrest,” Codd added.

The team says they are safe and remain hopeful they will be able to continue their journey soon. “It seems like it’s a peaceful protest, but the roads are completely blocked. Our bus is parked all the way down there and we’re just stuck,” Codd said.

Rodents Destroy Crops in Toledo

A San Miguel Village resident in the Toledo District took to Facebook to say that rodents have been destroying his crop.

Ray Cal said that “RODENTS…small brown rats are just everywhere!”

He described the situation as a “strange and sad scenario” and added that “if they do not dig the fresh corn seeds, they uproot the young corn shoots to consume the seeds.”

He said that the infestation has destroyed both planted seeds and young corn shoots. Even pumpkin plants are being chewed at the stems.

“The weather pattern has definitely changed. Farmers are very cautious utilising fire to burn their fields, so most of us planted in the chopped vegetation debris. This particular season, though, is unlike what we have ever seen,” Cal added.

Meanwhile, in the north, cane farmers are battling a fast-spreading fungus that has infected vast acres of sugarcane, pushing the industry into what stakeholders are now calling a full-blown agricultural crisis.

UDP Rift Continues as Faber “Disrupts” NPC Meeting

The United Democratic Party’s (UDP) internal rift continues after another attempt to have a National Party Council. The meeting was held today at the UDP Secretariat on the Youth for the Future Drive in Belize City.

The meeting was aimed at reinstating members previously expelled or out of good standing and addressing other party issues.

According to party chairman Mike Peyrefitte, the meeting was disrupted when Faber entered the room uninvited. “Our meeting to vote back in members in the party who were not in good standing or who were expelled; we set our convention date. We are ready, set to go. But Patrick Faber somehow got into the meeting and tried to create a disruption.”

Peyrefitte said this caused the group to switch to a virtual meeting where members would lock in their votes for motions to be passed via WhatsApp.

The main resolution calls for reinstating all affected members except Faber, whose behaviour today Peyrefitte labelled as “disrespectful.” He said, “We are putting forth to the NPC to not have him return to the United Democratic Party, and I was the first one to vote to not bring him back to the UDP.”

Faber defended his presence, saying, “I am the former leader of the UDP and current senator for the party and the caretaker for the Collet constituency; therefore, no invitation is needed.”

He added, “Judgement said ‘the expulsion of Honourable Tracy Panton and, by extension, the other three persons’, myself included, was illegal, void; it never happened.”

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton had also rejected the meeting’s legitimacy and cited exclusion from key decisions. “They are preparing the party for Tracy Panton, they say, but yet Tracy Panton cannot give her input on what is right for the party in terms of the list, and all we are asking is for them to do what they ought to do by the constitution of the party,” Faber said.

Despite recent talks of reconciliation, the party remains divided.

Belizean Hit by Vehicle in Melchor

A man identified as Adrián Cruz, believed to be from Belize, was involved in an accident in Melchor de Mencos. He was urgently taken to the local hospital by a nearby resident who assisted at the scene.

Authorities are asking the community to share this information to help identify him and contact his family. Cruz is currently under medical care following the incident.

We are told that his family has been notified.

UBFSU President: Faculty Ready to Take Action

President of the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union (UBFSU), Juliane Pasos, says that after years of waiting, UB’s faculty and staff are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure the long-promised salary adjustment.

Pasos explained that the current nine percent salary increase has been overdue for a decade. “In 2015, when we got our five percent, we were actually negotiating for 14 percent. We only received five, and the additional nine percent never came,” she said. “This has been long in the making, and our faculty and staff are demoralised. They want what is owed to them, and they will fight for it.”

Pasos did not rule out the possibility of industrial action, stating that staff are prepared for “whatever it takes,” which could even mean a shutdown of classes if necessary.

The UBFSU president also extended an invitation to students and the wider public to join the union during an upcoming Cabinet meeting. “It doesn’t only impact faculty and staff; it impacts students and the country as a whole. What affects our national university affects the entire country of Belize,” she said.

Pasos noted that the union continues to receive strong support from other unions, including the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB). “There is so much solidarity. The NTUCB and other unions have done so much, pushing for the OSH bill, being part of the tripartite body, but there is still more to do. We must keep working for good governance, democracy, respect for unions, and systematic change,” she said.

She said that the union has requested meetings with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Finance to resolve the matter. Those meetings are expected to take place after Cabinet meets next week.

UBFSU members joined the NTUCB in its rally today in Belize City.

Mother and Son Under Investigation After Guns and Ammo Bust at Northern Border

A Belizean public officer and her son, a U.S. Army veteran, are under investigation after customs officers discovered high-powered weapons and ammunition at the Santa Elena border in Corozal District.

The two were present during a routine inspection of loose cargo arriving from the United States. Customs officers, expecting personal items, instead found ammunition concealed in one of the boxes.

All items were handed over to police. An investigation is now underway into the failed smuggling attempt.

The bust comes as regional authorities intensify efforts to crack down on illegal firearms. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with support from the European Union and France, recently launched a joint firearms training programme in Trinidad and Tobago to combat arms trafficking and organised crime.

CARICOM IMPACS Executive Director Lt. Col. Michael Jones said illicit guns fuel violence and destabilise the region. He stated that over 22,000 illegal firearms and 300,000 rounds of ammunition were seized in CARICOM countries between 2009 and 2018. U.S. tracing data also revealed that 73 percent of recovered firearms in the Caribbean from 2018 to 2022 originated in the United States.

Tracy Panton Rejects NPC Meeting as Unconstitutional, Again

Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton has distanced herself from today’s planned UDP National Party Council meeting and claimed it is unconstitutional and lacks transparency.

This is despite last week’s Wednesday meeting, which recently reinstated Party Chairman Mike Peyrefitte described as a “sober conversation” between both factions, those aligned with Shyne and those backing Tracy Panton.

Panton raised objections over the delegate list in a letter addressed to Peyrefitte on Friday. She said it sidelines her as an elected Member of Parliament while including unelected figures like Jose Espat.

Though this is not the first time Panton has rejected a scheduled NPC, this time she argues the current setup violates the UDP’s constitution and principles of natural justice and warns that the meeting does not reflect genuine efforts to unify or reform the party.

Panton is calling for caretaker conventions in all 26 divisions without elected UDP representatives. She insists that party leadership must be chosen through fair and accountable processes.

The agenda for today’s NPC meeting included a motion to immediately reinstate Tracy Taegar-Panton and all expelled members, including those banned for running on her “Tracy Ticket” a move that would fully restore their status within the party.

Stay tuned to News 5; our team will be on the ground, bringing you live updates throughout the day.