Former BTL Workers Demand Unpaid Severance

More than 130 former employees of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) have joined forces to demand severance payments they say the company has refused to honour. The group, calling itself the Belize Communications Workers for Justice (BCWJ), announced it will hold a press conference on Monday, January 26, at 2:00 PM at the BNTU Union Hall in Belize City.

The group accuses BTL of dismissing their claims while moving ahead with the planned acquisition of Speednet (SMART). Members argue the purchase will benefit only a small elite while burdening taxpayers and customers, even as former workers remain unpaid.

“BTL refuses to pay severance to the very workers who built the company. These are bogus excuses that will not withstand the scrutiny of the courts,” said Dwight Gentle, BCWJ representative and former president of the Belize Communications Workers Union.

Another representative, Michael Augustus, accused the company of prioritising wealthy interests over its obligations. “BTL, instead, wants to make Ashcroft and the Briceño family richer rather than paying what it owes its former workers. That’s just wrong and shameful,” he said.