The clock is ticking, and pressure is building. Labor Minister Florencio Marin Jr. is back in Belize after a two-week working trip to Geneva, but he’s returned to a growing crisis. The Public Service Union has officially declared a trade dispute with the government, and they’re making sure their voices are heard. Just last week, public officers marched through the streets of Belmopan, heading straight to the Labor Office to demand action. That was on June ninth, and now a twenty-one-day countdown to possible industrial action is underway. So, what’s at stake for the Briceño administration? According to P.S.U. President Dean Flowers, the Minister of Labor is aware of the union’s position.
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“He acknowledged receiving that trade dispute and he informed us that, in accordance with the law, he will now be considering that trade dispute based on the grounds in which it was declared. He has twenty-one days to do that and within that twenty-one days he’s supposed to either identify a solution or set up a tribunal to bring the parties together to find a solution. After twenty-one days the Public Service Union and all its essential services units attached to the Public Service Union can engage in full-fledged industrial action, including strike action. And so, I want to make clear that with the declaration of that trade dispute, it simply gives the government an opportunity to know that even the essential services are now at liberty to engage in any form of industrial action that they choose to. And that would be primarily the financial sector, BTSD, customs, immigration, the petroleum sector as well, civil aviation sector, the fire department, those are essential services. We have a strategic plan which involves strategic ministries and we will disrupt services every step of the way once the Briceno administration continues with the disrespect that they are doing. Today, I have a two-day visit in the Ladyville area to engage public officers, because public officers are also, it’s important that we engage with those public officers and we’ve been doing that countrywide. We’ve been saying to our branch chairs, “Reach out to your public officers, do your departmental visits, sensitize them on the issues and let them know that they voted for this trade dispute.”
