Stevedores Warn Port Stalemate Could Put Economy at Risk

Four months after the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal dismissed the long-running labor dispute between the Port of Belize and its stevedores, there has been little movement toward a new collective bargaining agreement. The tribunal process collapsed in March after the Christian Workers Union refused to sign a revised confidentiality agreement, bringing more than a year of arbitration efforts to an abrupt end. Now, with government in control of the Port of Belize, the stevedores say they are still waiting for promised negotiations to begin. Chief Union Representative Bruce Diaz says the workers remain patient but warns the entire economy may be at risk if they do not get back to the negotiating table soon.

 

Bruce Diaz, Chief Union Rep, Stevedores

“Update on the tribunal, there is no tribunal. The tribunal has walked out on us from February. We are awaiting to liaise and meet with the Port of Belize from then and we have had no acknowledgement of meeting together. The government has taken over Port. They have given us the acknowledgement that they will sit with us and settle the CBA. But as of now, we have had no meetings, no discussions and we want to forward. Because you know when the stevedores pull the plug, the Belizean people feel and we feel also as the workers and we do not want to pull the plug. So we are bearing patience to see if they’ll have a sit-down with us so we could come and oversee all of what’s happening right now. We need to get this CBA signed. The stevedores work night and day in the rain while the big executives and all the directors and everybody in their bed sleeping, we are working in the rain. We work in the rain, dries off in the sun and goes on and continue working for the economy of Belize, because we make the economy of Belize flow. If the Port of Belize is not functioning, the noodles and the chicken sausage and what they are talking about will not come to the community. The prices will be raised. Back in the days, we had a deal. If we have signed the tariff, we have gotten what we wanted, but the stevedores stand down on signing the tariff. We still not get what we want. Now we are waiting and we done tell the public, we done tell the world now that they’re on TV, we want the Port of Belize to sit down with the negotiating team and finalize the CBA at the port before it gets in a different angle.”

 

Diaz says stevedores welcomed government’s takeover of the Port of Belize, hoping for better relations. Instead, they now feel ignored and sidelined.

 

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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