“The Answer Has to Be No”: NTUCB Stands Firm on BTL Acquisition of SMART

Opposition groups have gathered outside Belize Telemedia Limited’s doorstep on St. Thomas Street in Belize City to raise their concerns over what they’re calling transparency, valuation, competition and public consultation over the proposed acquisition of SpeedNet-SMART. 

Reports of BTL meeting to deliberate on the acquisition quickly mobilised unions, including the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and its president, Ella Waight. 

According to Waight, the union learned this morning that the meeting would proceed. “We were not sure if the meeting would have been held today,” Waight said.  

Waight said NTUCB’s objection has stood since January, when more than half of its eleven member unions rejected the acquisition, and remains unchanged regardless of the board’s decision.

While the outcome of the board’s deliberations has not been officially confirmed, Weight said, “The overall finalised decision has to be no.” 

NTUCB President Ella Waight said the union remains opposed to the acquisition, arguing that key recommendations from stakeholders were not addressed before the board meeting. 

“We had asked that there be another audit, one that is not only for one year, because who can assess a company for one year? That was not completed,” Waight said.

BTL had confirmed in a July 31 letter that stakeholder consultations occurred and that the matter now rests with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Waight disputed that consultation reached beyond a small circle. “There were only cliques of little consultations that happened,” she said.

Waight said that answer offered no real substance. “It was irrelevant of the concerns we had. No substance to that answer,” she said.

Waight also pointed out that the union wrote the PUC twice seeking clarity on the deal before Monday’s BTL board vote. “Those letters were not even responded to. So at this point, we have no trust in them,” Waight said.