We haven’t heard much from the Belize Energy Workers Union for a few years, but today they made a bold statement, demanding a wage increase of 4.5%, threatening industrial action and calling its own company greedy and unethical.
This morning the energy workers sent out a release criticizing BEL’s CEO Lyn young for refusing the proposed wage increase, after giving himself and management an increase in December of last year.
As for the rate increase that BEL has been asking for, the union says it is not justifiable.
The union also complains that one of its trustees and a long time employee Sheryl Cuthkelvin was terminated, in violation of the existing union agreement.
The fiery release concludes by saying that the union will not tolerate it and will exercise any of its many options.
BEL sent out a release 5 hours later which says that the company offered the union a 2% increase in December, and when it was refused, the company did go ahead and give management the increase.
As for the 4.5% that the union is now asking for, BEL calls this unreasonable.
As regards the termination, the company says that was done according to procedure.
