A few weeks ago we reported on the City Council's proposal to privatize the maintenance of the city. Today the proposal came to pass as 200 employees that who worked with the city council were terminated. But those employees today told us that they have lost their jobs with the city council but they are not getting any severance pay at least not as promised.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
It was more than a casual attraction for passing tourists this morning as outraged workers of the Belize City Council gathered in front of the City Hall requesting severance pay that this letter promised to them today. But even with all the commotion that ensued outside there was no one to answer the workers queries about their money this morning.
City Council Worker #1,
“According to the people they are talking about tomorrow and today is the 31st and this is the day they gave us.”
Alfonso Noble,
So they told you all to come and collect your pay today?
City Council Worker #1,
“Yes and that’s what we came for. This is the money from about three months ago when they have pushing around saying they are waiting to privatize. They said we haven’t been fired, we have been terminated so we came to get our money and now they gave us another day again.”
City Council Worker #2,
“Tomorrow we are supposed to go on our new worksite but how will we go if we haven’t gotten paid off?”
City Council Worker #3,
“The letter says effective today we were supposed to get our money. We are going to work at the new company tomorrow so how in the world will we get our money tomorrow and we will be at the new job at the same time? That is bull*^*. I don’t care if they fire me because I am talking. They can fire me. I have children. Everyone out here has children and we want our money. School is opening next week and we want our money today.”
Supporter #1,
“The people they are hungry and they want to fire them. They don’t want to give them tools and they don’t want to give them rake. They only want to give them bags to work with and no gloves or nothing to cover their nose. I used to work here and they fired me with my big pregnancy so I am not happy with any of them.”
City Council Worker #4,
“That’s not right. I don’t agree with that. They are looking to make a riot start.”
That did not come to pass and while no one at City Hall was available for comment, we understand that the payment date for the workers has been deferred until Friday of this week - meanwhile they’ll have to go to work for new private companies tomorrow.
Late this afternoon we managed to speak to City Manager Colin Flowers who told us that all employees, 200 of them have been paid what they are due. But the hold up in the money distribution is purely an administrative one as the employees have had the money deposited in their accounts either with the banks or credit unions. Flowers says he expects that by Friday the matter will be completely cleared up. As for the employment status of the workers they are all expected to begin working with two companies who have taken up the clean up of the city these are Sanitary Engineers Limited and Belizean Maintenance Limited.