Stevedores, “Government Proposal is Disgusting And Unacceptable.”

The Christian Workers Union, the representative body for stevedores, is not impressed by the government of Belize. Negotiations have been in the works between the government, which is the owner of the Port of Belize, and stevedores over the sugar payment owed to them for several years now. On February fifteenth, a proposal was presented to the union and now, having read it, the members are not pleased. The union held a meeting today in order to discuss how they plan to move forward and counter respond. We attended the meeting where C.W.U. President, Leonora Flowers, expressed the union’s displeasure. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that report.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

 

Leonara Flowers, President. C.W.U.

“Today, we are meeting with our members from the Port of Belize, our union, to find out and get directive what they want us to do. You may know that last week, on the fifteenth of February, we got a proposal from the interim board at the port. Needless to say, our members are not at all pleased with what was returned to us. It is just a regurgitation of what was given when the port was under the previous management. And we did not expect the government to do this. So today we are getting directive from our members. Where this is going.”

 

Flowers stated that the contents of the proposal were utterly disrespectful in her eyes, claiming that pension that members are already entitled to, was being passed off as the sugar payment stevedores are asking for.

 

Leonara Flowers

“I am even ashamed to see what’s in that first proposal. It’s disgusting. It’s unconscionable. It’s just a frustrating bunch of, you know what. This has come to the team before in 2020 and it was completely rejected. What they proposed to do again as I stand here, I will tell you shamelessly The interim board is proposing to give to the stevedores money that already belongs to the stevedores, part of pension that they have already paid for, they are already entitled to that. So that is what they’re proposing to give back to say that is as we call it the sugar money that is unacceptable and we’re not having it and that is why we’re out here today with her members to give us a clear directive. Where do we take this from here?”

 

Flowers explained that the union has been ready to present its proposal for several years and wishes to start the negotiations at its offer.

 

Leonara Flowers

“We had our proposal from we began like two, three years ago. When the interim board came in, they knew what that proposal was. And they said to us, don’t give us your proposal, we’ll come back to you. And they came back, so low. So extremely low and with a huge disrespect as well, to come and say to our members, you know we’ve been saving some pension for you, this is already yours. Take this and go away. You don’t do that to people. We’re not going to have that. And we’re looking at this straight at the government. Straight at the government. And we also know that in Belize City, we have all those members, ministers of government, who have gone on record to say they have the stevedores back. They should be paid. They should get what they’re entitled to. That’s not happening. So we’re looking at them as well for some responses today.”

 

Flowers further stated that she never expected these proceedings to occur when the Government of Belize acquired the port and is calling on them to do better.

 

Leonara Flowers

 “I expected that we will sit and negotiate and they will look at this stevedores and remember that an ESAT decision has said, sit and negotiate and remember that they signed an agreement to say when sugar leaves the port of Belize, if it does, then there shall be an award. Where is that award? Where is it today?  The government needs to do better and we are calling on them to do better.”

 

In December 2023, Prime Minister John Briceño stated that acquiring the port was the best decision the government could make for Belize and was optimistic about negotiations with the stevedores meeting a successful conclusion with time.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño (File: Dec 14, 2023)

 “I think it was best for us to be able to sit down to negotiate a settlement for us to be able to take over the port. We did not want to go down the line of nationalization. We have seen what happened with the previous government in 2009 when they nationalized BTL, and it was fight after fight, and the liars made millions of dollars. And we wanted to avoid that. And then to ensure that we can find a settlement that would be  in the interest of Belize. And we believe that that’s what we accomplished. Now, the Stevedores, they need to understand that we are just taking over this company. And we need to try to see how we can fix it. And I am sure that the Interim Board will probably find the time to be able to meet with them.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.