On Monday we told you that Julie-Ann Ellis Bradley was named as the mediator to help settle the impasse between ASR/BSI and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. That mediation process began on Tuesday and the Agriculture Minister had said that if they didn't reach a solution by Wednesday, they would reconvene tomorrow.
And while we approached Bradley for an update, as a court certified mediator, she was bound by the strict confidentiality of those processes. So while she was unable to say anything about this specific case, she did speak to us about the role of a mediator and what the process entails.
Julie-Ann Ellis Bradley, Mediator
"A mediator assists by way of providing a process that will better help the parties to be able to look at the dispute. The difference with mediation is that mediation is hard on the problem, not on the people in dispute and sometimes a mediator may help in term of communication, on focusing the parties on the issues at hand, and I should say that there are opportunities for those who want to study as a mediator, to study through the universities, I know that the University of the West Indies has a mediation program and I think Wesley has a mediation program as well. But conflict generally is a feature of everyday life, it's something that we can't run away from, and every single aspect of our life, we have some conflict and mediation is just getting the assistance of an impartial third party to be able to kind of help the parties to wade through the issues, but the mediators aren't the ones who actually gives recommendations or makes decisions."
Courtney Menzies
"How long have you been involved in mediation?"
Julie-Ann Ellis Bradley, Mediator
"Well I've been a mediator for over 13 years at least, as far as I can recall, for over 13 years and in Belize, you may be aware that there is a mediation process that the Supreme Court has included as well so you have many other mediators in Belize who are trained and able to assist parties in dispute."
The parties had met on Tuesday afternoon at Saint Christopher's in Orange Walk. Since they weren't able to reach the agreement by Wednesday, they will be meeting again tomorrow.
