The workers of Belize Maintenance Limited, the Company that cleans
the city have been picketing in front of City Hall every day since Monday of
last week. And every day that they took to the picket line, the Council’s
public image deteriorated and the city got dirtier. Well now it’s over.
The owner of BML Lawrence Ellis and the Council have worked out a five point
agreement to go forward with. It’s an undertaking to pay some money now
– as little as seventy-thousand - and some money later. It’s not
the three hundred thousand dollars that BML was asking for last week –
but Ellis has agreed to match it – so it is something to work with. They
held a joint press conference today and Deputy Mayor Dion Leslie explained what’s
in the deal.
Dion Leslie, Acting Mayor
“As of this morning Mr. Ellis and myself and Dr. Vanjani, we came
to an agreement this morning where the BML workers will be able to go back to
work and they will move from in front of City Hall and cease with the picketing
and protesting. We came to a mutual understanding where Mr. Ellis understood
that the council could not meet the three hundred and odd thousand he had previously
asked for but we came up with a substantially easier figure, more realistic
figure that the council will be able to manage just to get the people back to
work. I think myself and Councilor Willoughby, the Mayor, all the councilors
and Mr. Ellis, our main concern was about the sanitation workers and getting 
them their pay and having them going back to work.”
Lawrence Ellis, BML
“The Deputy and the Financial Controller met with me earlier this
week and they basically explained to me that under no circumstances without
outside help they can meet what I asked for and after several weeks of my employees
being out there, I decided to further compromise just to get the workers back
to work and for them to collect their back pay. That was the only thing I wasn’t
going to compromise on, their back pay. I do appreciate that the council for
a long actually committed in writing to make certain agreement and so with that
commitment I felt a little comfortable that we could move forward with this
today and have the workers go back to work and collect their back pay.
The agreement from the City Council is saying they gave us still the $70,000
and that pays for a couple weeks back pay. I matched that so they could get
some other weeks back pay. That is another debt I incurred but with a commitment
for the council to pay certain monies to BML by the end of the year. So I will
recover it then but a further commitment for us to have the entire arrears settled
with a payment plan by the end of the year also.”
Dion Leslie,
“I am relieved for the sanitation workers that they will be able to
get their pay, meet some of their bills, put food on their tables, and get back
to work. That is what is making me happy today.”
The five point agreement only covers the debt that has accrued this
year – which is in the vicinity of $800,000. As for the long term debt
– which started accruing with the last council – that is close to
four million and will be dealt with at some point in the future. And while it’s
solved in the short term, a cabinet subcommittee has also been tasked to investigate
the matter for a long term solution. Leslie says he and Ellis will mete with
Attorney General Elrington later this week.
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