Former BEL Employees Demand Severance Pay, Cite CCJ Ruling

A group of former employees of Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) is publicly demanding payment of severance benefits they say have been legally owed to them for years.

The former workers claim they formally requested outstanding severance payments from the company but have since faced delays and what they describe as a lack of clear answers. Many of the individuals involved say they dedicated decades of service to BEL and argue that the dispute raises broader concerns about workers’ rights in Belize.

According to the group, recent legal developments, including a 2025 ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice, have clarified that severance pay and pension benefits are separate entitlements under Belizean law. They say the court affirmed that severance cannot be substituted or offset by pension contributions.

The former employees allege that BEL has historically linked severance pay to pension benefits, effectively treating one as a replacement for the other. Based on legal advice they have received, they contend that this practice contravenes the Labour Act, which requires severance to be paid independently of any pension.

The group outlined a timeline of what they describe as mounting delays. Their formal request was submitted on February twenty-third and acknowledged several days later. After a series of exchanges, they say BEL most recently indicated that a formal response would be provided around April twentieth, more than a month after the initial request.