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Today, after the Senate meeting, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour, Dr. Carla Barnett said she would be meeting with both sides and not making any pre-judgements:..

Hon. Carla Barnett, Minister of State - Labour
"I am preparing to meet with both sides. We will try to meet with them urgently. The 21 days has been invoked. So there are certain processes that you go through under the law under which they invoke that 21 days. So we are trying to keep the peace. We are trying to get them to talk. That's what we would want to do and if there isn't the possibility of talking then we have to move beyond that, because the port is an essential service. We have to keep it open. We have to keep the flow of good into and out of country. So we are prepared to work with both sides."

Reporter
"The Port of Belize CEO is saying that they had an agreement that if they do reach an impasse that they are supposed to move to mediation to appoint a mediator. Is this what you are recommending or is it just for them to continue speaking?"

Hon. Carla Barnett, Minister of State - Labour
"I am not recommending anything at this time. We are preparing to meet with both sides and to see what a suitable way forward is. We need to do that. We can't jump ahead of the game. We have to meet with both sides and so before the end of the day today, hopefully we would have had that meeting with both sides."

Reporter
"Are you willing to pronounce on the hours of work, the sticking point?"

Hon. Carla Barnett, Minister of State - Labour
"No, I am not. I know they've been in discussion over that for a long time and there is a feeling on one side that they will not back down and there is the feeling on the other side that they will not accept and so that's an impasse. Classic definition of a standoff. So we have to get into a discussion with both sides. I am not going to take a position with either side, because we have to be fair and we have to be seen to be fair and we have to listen."

Reporter
"Nothing about what the law says in terms of the hours of rest."

Hon. Carla Barnett, Minister of State - Labour
"I am not going to pronounce at all. The objective at this time is to sit and meet with both sides and listen."

Up to newstime, Dr. Barnett told us the meetings were still ongoing.

The Port of Belize willfully triggered that impasse over the issue of hours of work. They hoped to to activate the collective bargaining negotiating framework - which is when a third party is brought in to resolve an impasse.

The CWU - which represents the stevedores - did not respond to that call for an impasse - and activated the 21 days' notice.