He was just a mid level human resource manager, but Dale Trujeque became a "cause celebre" in April when he was arrested and locked up overnight, after the police took over BTL and singled him out as the ring leader for an illegal strike. That charge was later dropped, but Trujeque's spirit stood, and even though he was a manager he remained a public supporter of the fight to get workers' equity in BTL. Well we imagine he will continue to fight, but now he'll have to do it from the outside because Dale Trujeque was fired today.
Two weeks ago he was transferred from his post as Manager of Human Resources and reassigned as manager of service performance, a distinctly less sensitive post. But before he got to settle in Trujeque was called in to his boss's office this morning where he was told that his services were no longer needed. This afternoon, he told us that he expected it.
Jules Vasquez,
Were you surprised?
Dale Trujeque, Fired from BTL
"No. I wasn't surprised."
Jules Vasquez,
Why would you have expected that?
Dale Trujeque,
"Well Jules I may have provoked them. I don't think they are people who can be provoked because they have the government behind them who makes legislation for them. But I think I provoked them because on Tuesday the 4th of October I took my time, wrote a letter informing them I have joined the Belize Communication Workers' Union. I wrote this letter setting out the law that protects my right to be in a union and I went and I hand delivered it to my new boss. I know that most companies don't like managers to be in unions. Unfortunately we have a law that says you can be and BTL has a policy, or maybe Ms. Molina is going to reinstate the policy, which legally she can't because the law says the manager has a right to join. They have a policy that when you come in as a manager you cannot belong to a union, especially the BCWU, and the law says other wise."
Jules Vasquez,
You are saying they fired you because you joined a union?
Dale Trujeque,
"What's the other reason? Jules you give me a new job less than two weeks ago and then now you come tell me, 'oops I change my mind I don't need you.'"
Jules Vasquez,
So if you believe you were fired illegally and without just, or due, or legal reason where do you go next?
Dale Trujeque,
"Well I will take them up Jules. One of the things I am tired of hearing people say is that there are only laws in this country, no justice. Well there must be some justice."
Jules Vasquez,
You were visible in the ACB protest. In April you were very visible and a champion of the labor movement which was dissatisfied with the way BTL was being managed and was blamed for the national phone shutdown, you were visible in that. Why not just fire you because you were a bad employee and your views are not in line with those of the controlling interests of the company?
Dale Trujeque,
"Well Jules there is nothing I did that takes away from my having done a good job. If in the process of doing my job I also happen to work with the union or preach against bad management or express my views that I don't think you're managing the company right, the fact is I did my job that I was hired to do, to the best of my ability, and that is what they must use if they want to dismiss me. They must prove that I did something wrong."
Jules Vasquez,
Do you think that this is a warning to union members, do you think that that is the strategy?
Dale Trujeque,
"Definitely, the company in my view, with the return of the Ashcroft people, has gone down a path that is just going to make industrial relations climate in the company deteriorate."
Jules Vasquez,
So you believe that management has embarked on a purposeful strategy of intimidation against those who would wish to be active in unions?
Dale Trujeque,
"Jules I couldn't see any other reason, I couldn't. I didn't hide my intentions, the union executives took the letter and started to email it to everybody, like to invite you so they had to know."
Jules Vasquez,
Would you like to be reinstated to your job?
Dale Trujeque,
"The answer to that is yes, of course anybody would want back their job. It's a good job and I don't know anybody else that pays better than what BTL pays its workers. Jules I'll move on, I'll go back to doing the things I did and I won't tell you I'll enjoy."
Trujeque says he has retained an attorney to challenge BTL under chapter 304 of the new trade union recognition act. Under that law, if he is proven right, BTL must re-instate him. It's of note that another high profile manager at the forefront of the union debacle, Mark Usher recently resigned from BTL reportedly after he was assigned to a new supervisor.
