PSU Wants To See OSH Bill Passed

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (N.T.U.C.B.) is the umbrella union that has been spearheading the effort, along with the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to get the Occupational Safety and Health Bill, otherwise known as the OSH Bill, passed. The Bill was tabled in the House in January of 2014, but several areas of it have been brought into question, either for clarification or amendments. P.S.U. President, Dean Flowers says it would be nice to finally see the bill passed into law for the protection and safety of employees, particularly those whose job can be hazardous.

Dean Flowers

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.

“As a member of the I.L.O. and as a country that has adopted an I.L.O. Convention Act, employers have a duty and a responsibility to ensure that occupational safety and health exists within their organizations. And I keep saying that the workers of this country needs to start reading these legislations and they’ll find out that a lot of them have been short-changed whereby injuries and poor working environment is concerned. I think that people need to adapt the American style of system of government in terms of going to court more often. A lot of people would say it’s costly, but it’s more costly not to go. So that would be my encouragement, but where the OSH is concerned, I’m certainly hoping that we can get there this year in 2022. It would be a shame if come 2023, we’re still discussing the passage of the OSH.”

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