Central Bank Ordered to Pay Nearly $27,000 After Unfair Dismissal 

The Central Bank of Belize has been ordered to pay nearly $27,000 in compensation to a former senior clerk. 

The ruling was issued by the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal in a dispute brought by the Christian Workers Union (CWU) on behalf of former Central Bank employee Dapheen Bowen.

The case stemmed from a WhatsApp post which formed the basis for Bowen’s dismissal. 

The CWU said in a statement today that the tribunal found the termination of Bowen’s nearly 19-year tenure was “unjustified and unfair”. The Tribunal found the Bank failed to follow mandatory disciplinary procedures set out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, including providing written notice of the complaint and adequate time to respond, and bypassed the agreed process entirely.

According to CWU, “the Tribunal also found that the Bank’s internal investigation was not a genuine, open investigation, as a determination of guilt had, in substance, already been reached before the process began. There was no evidence that anyone was actually threatened, targeted, or harmed by the WhatsApp post that formed the basis of the dismissal.”

The Central Bank was ordered to pay Bowen $26,998.50 in compensation, subject to applicable statutory deductions.