So, is the Prime Minister doing all this shuttle diplomacy between the social partners….the churches one week, the unions the next…to put out fires of discontent before they blaze into an inferno of unrest?
He today conceded that this is exactly what he is doing, to ensure that that the grievances of the different unions don't merge into a collective frustration with the Government to force the mass protests. Here's that conversation:
Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"We also need to separate the purely political from what is legitimately a concern of social partners. And that's precisely what we are trying to do. We are seeking to address each of the areas of concern and trying to reach some sort of resolution."
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"One interpretation is that you have been sort of in an attempt to out different fires so that there is no critical mass of the merging of these issues to continue to pressure your government."
Rt., Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"That is true. We are seeking to out fires. But that's another way of describing what I said earlier. We are trying to deal with each issue in turn and to solve the issue by addressing the concerns of those that have agitated the issue. But a shorthand way of describing that is that we are seeking to out fires."
Marvin Mora, Spokesman for Utilities Unions
"And of course the fact that we have the BNTU looking at some sort of industrial action. We felt that it was necessary to have this meeting with the Prime Minister. We was the one that approach our 3 utility unions."
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