The Belize Energy Workers Union sent out a letter to the Prime Minister today, pleading with him to intercede in a bitter labour dispute they are having with BEL. According to the union, it is a grave and urgent matter, because management is engaging in union busting practices. And indeed, BEL is laying off employees for redundancy as they close down their generating plant on Magazine Road – long known as the ice factory. And with that closure, jobs are being made redundant but things got heated when two union members were fired this week. But Union President Sean Nicholas says it doesn’t have to be that way. He told us that even his job is on the line.

Sean Nicholas,
“The situation at BEL get to a stage where the employees are threatening to walk off the job. The management of BEL keeps threatening employees, abusing employee’s rights, disrespecting the union. In the union’s view they are attempting to bust the union. That has escalated this week with BEL retrenching two councils of the union and as far as I know I was called in to the manager and he informed me that I am on the list.”

Union member,
“I am a part of the executive, I am a councillor, and we had shown them areas where they could have placed people and they said they would look at it but with the time they opted it, I feel that they weren’t interested in placing anyone.”

Jules Vasquez,
So you were notified yesterday that...

Union member,
“Yap, yesterday.”

Jules Vasquez,
Now you’re a union executive member?

Union member,
“Yes I am a councillor and I’ve been working with the company for 19 years.”

Jules Vasquez,
What’s that like leaving a job or being forced to leave a job after you’ve given two decades, your youth?

Union member,
“Well I don’t really know what to say Jules. I don’t really feel it because I expected it sometime the way management behave towards the union so I thought at sometime it would have come.”

Sean Nicholas,
“The whole atmosphere of that collective agreement, harmonious relations has been dashed right dah water by the company, management of the company. They totally do not respect the union, totally do not respect the right of the employees, employees are being threatened everyday that we have your money ready for you if you ready to go today, we could send you today, that type of action Jules is not a good atmosphere and we really need the Prime Minister to intervene or put some kind of sanction on BEL and employers for this type of behaviour.”

According to BEL, the closure of plants started in 1990 and the union was informed in 2005 that magazine road would be closed down. BEL says it kept 19 employees as the plant was closed.