C.W.U. President Hyde Says Go Slow Will End When Negotiations Begin

Evan “Mose” Hyde

When asked about the go-slow the stevedores are currently staging and how this affects not only the Port of Belize or A.S.R./B.S.I., but also cane farmers, the union president said they are conscious of the cane farmer’s situation and that the go-slow is one part of the union’s attempt to jump start negotiations.

Evan “Mose” Hyde, President, C.W.U.

“Truth be told, we are actually on a go slow on the sugar barge, since last week Thursday. And so, that is how we believe we have been able to get attention. Because we have tried multiple diplomatic channels, writing the different areas, we had a press conference, all that is in an effort to have everybody understand we are stuck and there is a lot of buildup of negative energy, let’s get around a table. We believe, unfortunately, like all previous instances, that only when we have to take on these extraordinary actions that we are able to get some movement.”

Paul Lopez

“Is it of concern to you that the longer the ships stay over time, that cuts into what the sugar cane farmers make as well?”

Evan “Mose” Hyde

“It is out of our concern for cane farmers, for stake holders, for national security, for the national economy. It is out of that concern that we wrote all the offices we wrote, why we had a press conference, why we do all the things we try to do before we reach here, because we understand the implications. But our concern for them goes beyond that. Let me just state publicly that what I said to our partners and brothers and sisters representing the cane farmers that I gave my word. When we get PBL around the table to negotiate and discuss the issues that we have and we get the engagement from government on the issue of the M.O.U. from 2006, I will ask my members to, at that point in time, move off from the go slow on the sugar barge, out of respect to them and for the understanding that they expressed to us in that meeting.”