Tuesday April 19th Tonight, there is no progress to report in the BTL crisis. In fact, things have taken a step back as land lines across Belize City which were working yesterday, went down this morning. International long distance, Digicell, analog cellular, internet, fax and all other services are still not working in Belize City though there are reports that Digicell is working locally in other districts. The Speednet system continues to work though it has limited coverage and no interconnection with BTL's hard lines. There were no meetings between government leaders and union groups and as far as we could determine none are planned. So that impasse remains as the Public Utilities Commission has taken the lead in trying to get the phone system restored.
To that end, this afternoon BTL technicians from the Construction Department were on the street side working on fiber optic lines that had been severed. Significant because it shows that by all indications even as workers continue mostly to "sit out" of work, technicians are assisting in bringing the system back up but the question is under what circumstances and how earnest is the effort. When we found them on Princess Margaret Drive, the technicians were repairing the cable under the watch of heavily armed Anti-Drug Unit officers. It is a tedious, painstaking, and potentially dangerous job for the workers who have to find the single fault among literally thousands of fiber glass strands. Union President Paul Perriot told us that despite the presence of the armed guards the workers are there voluntarily and with the consent of the union.
Kalilah Enriquez, KREM Radio
"We see BTL employees on the street physically trying to repair the fiber optics and we also see them accompanied by police and ADU personnel. Are they being coerced to do so or are they doing that of their free will?"
Paul Perriot, BCWU President
"At the moment, as I think I mentioned yesterday, we were in the process of trying to get that commitment going to put back services in place. That is what they are doing at the moment and it was on the advice of the union which has given them the go ahead to assist as best as possible."
"As far as I know our technicians along with myself earlier this morning did a test using one of our special testers and we found one cut so far. I don't know about any other cuts or if when they repair this one they'll be more. We don't exactly what happened and as I said this is all a part of what's when happening when the Speednet technicians came in. If you notice they brought up their systems and we were locked out so we don't know what Speednet has been doing so far or whoever has been doing anything to hamper our systems or hamper our progress in trying to get back the system going."
Kalilah Enriquez,
"Is it in the union's interest to get the system back up? Aren't you using that as your trumpet card, if you will, to acquire the 37% shares?"
Paul Perriot,
"Well at the moment, as I said, we're trying to assist with getting the system back up and running. We don't know how long that will take. If it is, as you said, we have 24 cuts that would take us 24 days or more."
Jules Vasquez,
What would you say to the Prime Minister's charge that is intentional sabotage and the implication that you all are responsible for this sabotage?
Paul Perriot,
"Well the Prime Minister can say anything, as I said, anything that comes out his mouth is either a lie or some of his assumptions. The public, Belizean public, has to know that we are in no way here to maliciously sabotage our systems because that is our bread and butter but we are, as I said, starting out our own campaign to discredit whatever he said."
As Perriot mentioned earlier the workers are there voluntarily which makes it hard to understand why they are under the watchful eye of armed officers. Police say the officers are placed their for technicians' protection but one of the workers who asked us not to use his name said the officers are a distraction.
BTL Employee,
"We're fixing the cable but we don't really need no police to protect we because we are out here everyday. We work everyday in the sun hot here and we don't need no protection so we don't know why they are out here. We don't need no protection. We work everyday and we don't need no protection. It is just us and our supervisor and we get the job done."
Jules Vasquez,
Are you intimidated by seeing these ADUs out here?
BTL Employee,
"We are not intimidated but people out here will get the wrong impression like they are forcing us to work and that is already the news that people are shouting out here. About 2 people have passed out here asking if they are forcing us to work. We really didn't know until this evening when they told us that they are out here to protect us. We don't need no protection."
Two locations were completed on Princess Margaret Drive this afternoon but we were told they weren't fixed as yet.
