They came to 7NEWS in February of last year when they were agitating against a pay cut, but today a group of sanitation workers from the Albert division would be happy just to have any kind of pay to cut. This time, in the wake of the December 88 Cabinet shuffle, their jobs have been cut. It turns out these 19 workers were cleaning up the Albert division but paid by tourism board cheese. But since the late December shake-up, that cheese isn't being served in the Albert any more and these 19 are going hungry without it. But, they say all hope is not lost and this afternoon they came to our office in the hopes that they can plea to the powers that be to give them back their jobs and livelihoods.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
In February of last year, sanitation workers from the Albert division were out at the offices of the Sanitation Enterprises Limited protesting what they called unfair wages. Back then, they had that to protest about, but today they were at our offices, protesting again, this time because their wages have been taken away.
Worker #1,
"I don't what happened. I will just have to try and see what will happen and how I could survive. I don't know what they will do, they will have to do something..."
Alfonso Noble,
Because unu have family and so?
Worker #1,
"We all families. Everybody out here has families and that is our thing everyday to get up and deal with our jobs."
Worker #2,
"Monday they gave us a holiday and then Tuesday come and no work. How could that happen?"
Worker #3,
"See the letter right here too."
The letter simply thanks them for their work and wishes them all the best in the future. When we contacted SEL's Director Rupert Marin this afternoon he told us that he received instruction to discontinue the management of the workers who had been contracted by the Belize Tourism Board to clean up the Albert area. He says his company was not directly responsible for the 17 workers it simply managed them. The workers know this and are asking those responsible for letting them go to give them back their job.
Worker #1,
"We work for Mark Espat and when we went to work this morning, after the holidays, the supervisor came and told us about it. He said that all of us would get lay-off just like that because Mr. Smith came over and he is firing all of us, check. It is 20 of us working and is not fair like that right."
Alfonso Noble,
So what will you do now?
Worker #1,
"Well we don't know what to do which is why we are coming to see what is happening. We don't know why they would fire us when it is us who take care of the place."
Now there is no one to take care of the place and these workers have no job to go to and no wages to earn. For them it is now a matter of bread and butter and they want it back.
Worker #4,
"We would really want Mr. Man, Mr. Godfrey, know this right because we are not looking to step down. We want you to come back and let us get back our jobs because we are not with this check. You put 20 man out of a job. Mark Espat is not in no Ministry so it is you running the show now, so just come check we before we come check you. We are not with that. We want back our job and that is what we will fight for."
Worker #1,
"We need to work because we need our job. We need to work. Work keeps us all off the street. We are people with families and kids to take care of. We just want back our job."
Worker #3,
"I have 8. I have kids going to college and that is unfair because this morning when we went to work Mr. Garbutt told us that all of us we are fired because they stepped down your Minister and thanks for service. He told all of us it, like 18 men and 2 women, who work on this crew. What will we do? We have light bill, house rent, and everything to pay. All of us have families. Godfrey Smith has it good. From Musa has it good. They are rich so they don't need anything but whatever about us who have a lot of kids out here and are suffering. We need our jobs back."
Worker #2,
"I don't like that. Cold I don't like that."
Alfonso Noble,
What will you do?
Worker #2,
"What I will do? I will get back my g-o-b. "
Alfonso Noble,
How will you get that back?
Worker #2,
"I wonder right now. You think I will be on the street robbing people or go to the Turks or this or that? I want a g-o-b. You feel me? I need a job."
And for this group that is the bottom line, one that is doubly underlined in this time of political fallout and the general maaga season of January.
The workers say they intend to picket those responsible for firing them until they get their jobs back.
