Former BEL Workers Protest Outside National Assembly

A small group of former Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) employees staged a protest outside the National Assembly today as lawmakers met inside, calling attention to a long-running dispute over unpaid severance benefits.

Members of the Belize Energy Workers for Justice gathered outside the building, urging government intervention and demanding a resolution to their claims. Despite their limited numbers, the group made their presence felt, insisting that Prime Minister John Briceño take direct notice of their concerns.

The workers say they have been pursuing the matter for months, arguing that outstanding severance payments owed to them remain unresolved. However, they now believe the dispute is moving toward a legal confrontation. Speaking to News Five, group member and former BEL employee Dorla Staine said the workers have exhausted other avenues in their attempt to reach a settlement. “We have tried other means. We have protested before. We had press conferences; we have spoken to the minister,” Staine said.

She added that they were previously told the matter would be reviewed at the Cabinet level and examined by the Attorney General but said there has been no satisfactory outcome. “He said he supports us, and he will take the matter to the Cabinet and Attorney General to look at the records,” she said. “But BEL is preparing to go to the court again on a matter that has been ruled. We don’t understand that.”

Staine said the group decided to protest outside the National Assembly in hopes of gaining the prime minister’s attention, describing him as the key decision-maker in the matter. “We find it crucial to come here today for the House meeting so we can talk to the prime minister,” she said. “He has the biggest decision to make and help us, the elderly workers who have already given our time and efforts to the country.”