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This morning Belize Maintenance Limited – the company that cuts the grass and cleans the streets in the city slashed its staff by 60%. BML owner Lawrence Ellis says that he sent home 100 of his 150 workers because he hasn’t been paid by the city council in two weeks and so he can’t pay them. Sounds familiar, right? Like, didn’t this just happen six weeks ago? It did, and this is not a slow motion replay; this is the City Council with another relapse. Ellis says it’s happening because City Hall breached the agreement signed last month. That put an end to the nearly two weeks of sustained protest. So will it start again? That’s what Keith Swift tried to find out.

Lawrence Ellis, BML Owner
“We were supposed to get two full payments. We missed one and we missed payment again Friday and I was told that they will see what will happen this week, they are not sure. So with that in mind, with the agreement I went into the hole further back to work and now the council broke the agreement twice so we unable to work full staff at this point.”

Keith Swift,
“How many workers aren’t working?”

Lawrence Ellis,
“About 100 again we sent home and if we don’t get something this week, we won’t be able to make the payroll for this week and if not again this week then we’d probably have to send everybody home.”

Keith Swift,
“And you have how many working now?”

Lawrence Ellis,
“About 50 people.”

Keith Swift,
“Out of 150?”

Lawrence Ellis,
“Yes. We keep reducing our staff because we can’t make the payments.”

Keith Swift,
“So now with only 50 workers, what’s being done and what isn’t being done?”

Lawrence Ellis,
“Well all the works that we have been paid to do is being done but with less people.

It is very disappointing. We have been doing our best. Since we went back to work, we were just about to get things under control with the grass and other stuff and now we’ll be going back into the same position. It is disappointing and there is no one to give an answer about how to move forward.

It is disappointing that the workers will have to go through this again. I just hope that someone somewhere could step in and I would even like to appeal to the Prime Minister to step in and try and see how he can bail us out because this is a serious situation.”

So what does the City Hall have to say? Well both Mayor Zenaida Moya and the City Councillor in charge of sanitation Phillip Willoughby told us that it was news to them and both pointed fingers at the Council’s Financial Controller Patrick Tillett.

Keith Swift,
“BML sent home 100 workers, they said they have not been paid by the council. Do you know what’s going on?”

Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize
“I am not in tune with the situation. In terms of payment, the Financial Controller at the council Mr. Patrick Tillett is the one who deals with payments.”

Keith Swift,
“So do you know if there are funds to pay them?”

Zenaida Moya,
“He would have to speak on the matter. He is the one whose dealing with the finances at the council.”

Phillip Willoughby, City Councillor
“What it is I won’t hide my hand and say this or the other. The reality is I hadn’t to this point seen the financial position as the council as it is. I know that payment are due weekly to our creditors and so forth and if those payments haven’t been expedited it is now to my attention and I will look at it as we get into the council and then I could brief you on later on or tomorrow.

The Financial Controller is responsible solely to just initial, to ensure that everything is in order basically. So I would have to enquire into the matter to see that everything is in order or if there is something wrong, why the vouchers haven’t been prepared or why Mr. Tillett hasn’t signed off on the vouchers and why the check hasn’t reached the Mayor’s desk by Friday to have been signed.”

Keith Swift,
“Can you assure residents that this isn’t the start of another garbage crisis?”

Phillip Willoughby,
“Again Keith if I answer you I’ll be answering you falsely. That is contingent on one of two things: if we have the availability to pay we’ll do so. If it is some internal thing to the council then we need to sort that out if that is the case. So it only can be one or the other.”

Contrary to what Councillor Willoughby told us, Lawrence Ellis says that Willoughby should have been aware of the lack of payment since they spoke about it on Friday. Interestingly, one Belize Waste Control rep. told us that they have received payment.