Former BTL Employees Say 175 Still Await Severance Pay

The Belize Communication Workers for Justice (BCWJ) staged their third day of protest today, demanding severance payments they say have been withheld for decades by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL).

The group says at least 175 former BTL employees remain unpaid, although the company has reportedly settled with about 70 others. BCWJ representative Emily Turner said the number of affected workers continues to grow as more former employees come forward.

“We had maybe 200, but then the list keeps growing. A lot of employees are contacting us,” Turner said.

Turner explained that BTL stopped paying severance in 1994, during the period when the company operated as a monopoly. In 2025, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that pensions cannot substitute severance, which is considered a “social justice clause” under Belize’s labour law.

She noted that pensions are funded jointly by employees and the company, while severance must be paid solely by the employer. Severance, she said, is meant to cushion workers after retirement, particularly older employees who are no longer easily employable.

BCWJ members have been staging peaceful demonstrations outside BTL, but Turner said police denied permits for several protest days, prompting the group to appeal to the Commissioner of Police.

The group is also raising concerns about BTL’s proposed acquisition of Speednet (SMART), questioning how the company can consider an $80 to $100 million purchase while severance obligations remain unresolved.

“We will not go away,” Turner said. “We are here for workers.”