And those ads may lead to a media boycott from the BNTU. According to Smith, while the decision has not been finalized, it's in discussion to start boycotting certain media houses who have been playing the ads. Now, this is how media houses pay their employees and their bills, but the Benque branch of the union has advised its members to "unlike" the Love FM and Belize Breaking News Facebook pages. This boycott may extend to other media houses, and would eventually include a ban on interviews for those stations. Smith explained more.
Elena Smith, President, BNTU
"If it is that these media houses are putting out these ads that are going against us as unions then do you expect that we will support them? Of course not, we can't support them if they are going against us. They need us as much as we need them. And so they want to make money, and they are making money off these ads, but are you going to sell your soul to the devil for some money? Because that's not going to work."
|We have some media houses who have been open and willing to work with us to have us on their radio shows to assist us along the way, those media houses we will continue to support, because they have continued to support us, but the ones that have taken the hard and fast position that they are going to be going against us and calling us stupid and stupider and all kinds of things on their show then that's a different story."
Reporter:
"What does a boycott look like?"
Elena Smith, President, BNTU
"Well not supporting in whatever way it means."
Reporter:
"No interviews for these media houses?"
Elena Smith, President, BNTU
"As best as we can we will refrain from supporting those media houses."
