NTUCB Rallies Belizeans for Friday’s Protest

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize is taking its good-governance campaign beyond the workplace and directly to the public. Union leaders are urging Belizeans to sign a petition, flood elected officials with emails and join Friday’s “Enough is Enough” protest in Belmopan. NTUCB President Ella Waight says most of the organization’s eleven demands remain unanswered, despite some progress on union-related concerns. She also says the Congress is still awaiting a meeting with the Prime Minister. Waight explains why the NTUCB is now intensifying its campaign.

 

Ella Waight, President, NTUCB

“We are still advocating to ensure that our eleven demands are adhered to. We have moved a little bit when it came to, when it comes to the whistleblowers legislation. We have been provided opportunities and in our recommendations to the bill. We have done that. We understand it’s now at the AG ministry. We have moved a little when it comes to the BNTU issues. But when it comes to the other issues, we have had no movement. We have not even had a meeting, like I mentioned, before the prime minister. So we are still on our campaign. We have a petition, an online petition that we have been sharing on WhatsApp, on our Facebook page, the NTUCB Facebook page, where it’s two clicks, two clicks and you sign that online petition. We want to ensure that we have enough persons who have signed a petition to pressure government to listen to us with those eleven demands. We also have what we’re doing right now. We are calling an email blast. If you go on our Facebook page and if you want it on a WhatsApp, you can contact us at 611-9809 and we’ll send it to you on WhatsApp, where you can go on our Facebook page, click on the link. It will take you to all the photos of all your elected officials, whether they are your reps or mayors. And beneath their picture, you will see the constituency. You click on the constituency. It will take you to your email. You go to your email and you can either type in your name or if you have an electronic signature, put it there or just send it without any name on it. And because it comes from your valid email address, it is sent to that elected official and they will get your email that says, I support the eleven demands of the NTUCB. As my elected official, you need to ensure that you listen.”

 

Waight said the NTUCB is shifting its focus from street demonstrations to direct pressure on elected officials, while encouraging supporters to either join Friday’s protest in Belmopan or wear black in solidarity with the movement and its eleven demands for good governance.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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