For the past five years the Christian Workers Union has been trying to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the SOCIAL SECURITY BOARD.
And finally today - after so much back and forth - including low grade industrial action, and dozens of threats of industrial action, they signed a new collective bargaining agreement.
We spoke to the leaders of the Christian Workers Union who told us they are relieved that a protracted and strenuous negotiation is finally over:..
Antonio Gonzalez - President, CWU
"This is the document that we just signed. It is an agreement between Social Security Board and the Christian Workers Union. It's from July 1st to the 31st December, 2013. What we have learned is this and I think that they have also learned in any negotiations you
have to give and take and this is whereby they were more or less adamant with certain positions to the extent due to the frustrated process."
James McFoy - General Secretary, CWU
"What I would like to say to management in the future is that please this is a union of dialogue and let us dialogue, let us understand because if you are refusing to meet with us then our members will pressure us and then in turn we have to pressure where the pressure comes from. That is our position."
Antonio Gonzalez - President, CWU
"Overall I think that we have learned to say that we have to see eye to eye with certain things. We have to give and take but what we have told them is that they have to know who has the authority and that's why we agree to put that in because we don't want the stalling process anymore."
James McFoy - General Secretary, CWU
"I accept that we came through and I accept the fact that it was a tedious process that should have been avoided but we are here so lets us move on now."
Now, the only one still left to negotiate is the Labour Agreement with the Port of Belize - and McFoy and Gonzalez will give us an update on that tomorrow.
