Unions Reject PM’s Response to Eleven Demands

The government has finally answered organized labor, but the National Trade Union Congress of Belize says that response falls far short of what workers demanded. The NTUCB says the Prime Minister delivered his response eighteen days after the union’s August twenty-eighth deadline. But according to the Congress, the bigger issue is not simply the delay. It says government ignored several of its eleven demands and failed to meet any of them in the form submitted. The union is also challenging government’s claim that organized labor already has representation on the BTL board. The NTUCB argues that the statement misrepresents the nature of that seat, as well as government’s power to address the issue. The Congress is now consulting its council, affiliated unions, the Joint Social Partners and other interested stakeholder groups before issuing a detailed written response. For now, the NTUCB says it remains firmly committed to the principles outlined in its August letter, signaling that the dispute between the unions and the Briceño administration is far from over.

 

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