Last night, we told you how the Management of the Port of Belize intends to implement some pay cuts for their employees during the duration of the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. These pay cuts for all employed at the Port, minus the stevedores, would reduce the wage bill while allowing for all employees to keep their jobs in a time when mass employee lay-offs are happening in other sectors of the economy.
Well, the Port is also announcing that they've reached an agreement with the Christian Workers Union, which represents the stevedores, to improve safety and security at the Port. A formal and ensured roster of casual laborers, referred to as Trailers. These laborers will ensure that the work at the Port is performed by and vetted by registered workers, for the first time in the Port's facility.
A press release from the Port says that this landmark change in business operations happened after the port's management refused to allow the continued violation of the International Ship and Port Security Code. According to the Port's management, the CWU refused to dispatch the registered stevedores that should have been assigned to work the sugar vessel in the port. The security of the Port and vessels that call to the port and the safety of the staff who report to work every day is most important to the Port's management.
The Port Management's press release continues that the withholding of experienced and registered labor on the sugar vessels comes at a time when every dollar in exports is urgently needed by Belize's economy. They say that the CWU leadership is demanding redundancy and severance payments for stevedores, who may be impacted by the relocation of sugar exports from the Port of Belize to other ports in the country. According to the management, the major sugar shippers have not communicated any planned relocation at this time, but they do evaluate their supply chains for more efficient and less risky options.
From the Port management's perspective, working together with the CWU at the negotiation table, with the support of the Ministry of Labor is the only to protect stevedore jobs, which may be at risk, if a new supply chain solution for sugar.
The Ports press release ends by saying, quote, "While there is still further progress that must be made on the Trailer discussion, PBL is encouraged by the CWU's recognition that there needs to be a formal code of conduct for work and a joint process for hiring, training, and promoting Trailers and we look forward to working together with the CWU on ensuring the long-term health of the port." End quote.
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