As we told you on Friday, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize had a change of heart about the regional oversight sub-committees for the Venezuelan housing money. After declining to serve in February, on Friday the union submitted names of its nominees to the Prime Minister. Today Housing Minister Michael Finnegan told us that in his view it is little too late for the unions.
Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing
“We wrote them a letter from in January. They replied back in February. This July, some four to five months later. They wrote back saying they are not interested and made a lot of demands from us and five months later they will write back again and say they want to get on when the process is almost completed. I think we want to work with the social partners but they must show some respect for us also. And not because we want to work with social partners that means social partners believe they could rang and strong we.
That is what they said, they said they didn’t want to be a part of it. Five months later, four months later they want now to be a part of it. So that papisho the government dah papisho?
If you want my personal opinion, as the Minister of Housing, I believe that that train it has left them and that train has nearly reached its destination at the other junction.”
As Finnegan indicated, the decision to include the union on the committees will be debated at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting.
