They are more pressure than the Grandmaster and the Waterfront Workers were keeping it up on this the third day of picketing this week.
Today the staging ground was the Port compound, and they showed a modest improvement in numbers. The picketing has certainly caught the public's eye, but it does not seem to have dented the resolve of the Port's private owner, who continues to advertise for new workers.
Jules Vasquez,
You are all out here again today but the ad is in the paper today so that means this isn’t making any difference.
Antonio Gonzales, President CWU
“It must make a difference. It must make a difference because we have the support of our membership you understand me and we are totally against the advertisement. That means that people are not registering with the company meaning that they support the position of the stevedores.”
Jules Vasquez,
But again and you said this was pointed out on radio this morning, for an organization with such a big membership you all don’t have equivalent numbers out here.
Antonio Gonzales, President CWU
“Well this is more than the previous day. This is more and the support will be coming from the other areas that we represent. We have ten other areas and there are some very important institutions that we represent like DFC, Central Bank, Social Security, and CCB. So we have some very important areas that we intend to utilize and get the support and solidarity from these areas."
Stevedore,
“And Mr. Espat needs to read and understand that the union is the boss out here. But the government has to step into this thing and let Mr. Espat know he has to make a compromise for these poor people. Let me tell you something, all families in Belize get a little bite out of waterfront. Right now Christmas is coming and we might not have work if Mr. Espat goes and monopolize this for him and his family. Because this monopolization. Like I tell, I am a big PUP man. I canvass for PUP within the waterfront workers and government has to do something for us.”
The union has a meeting scheduled with Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Jose Coye next week.