NTUCB Protests, Warns Government: ‘We Will Give Them Reasons to Listen’

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) staged a 15-minute lunchtime protest today outside the Social Security Board (SSB) headquarters in Belize City. The NTUCB is demanding a response from the Briceño administration to its eleven demands submitted earlier this week.

The Christian Workers Union (CWU) and its members at SSB joined the protest. NTUCB President Ella Waight described the protest as a “walk of demands.”

The NTUCB had given the administration until today to respond, but Waight said the union has received neither a formal response nor an acknowledgement of its letter.  One of the NTUCB’s demands is the removal of Markhelm Lizarraga as Chairman of the Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) Board of Directors.

Waight said the call is also coming from BTL workers, adding, “It is a call not just from NTUCB, but from the workers at BTL. The ones who have the capacity to ensure BTL runs smoothly or have issues.” Waight also said some of the NTUCB’s demands could be addressed quickly and that the union wants the government to engage with its representatives.

Waight acknowledged that Prime Minister John Briceño is out of the country but said the government continues to function in his absence. She said the union would at least have expected an acknowledgement of its letter and an indication of when he would return.

Union Senator Glenfield Dennison said the unions have a plan of action to continue to build the momentum, stating, “I am of the view that power does not listen if they don’t have a reason to listen. So, we are going to continue to give them reasons to listen.”

Waight warned that if the NTUCB does not sit down with the Prime Minister and his team, the union could escalate its actions to a national demonstration. She said similar protests are planned in the coming weeks.