Switching topics now, the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal hearing the dispute between the Christian Workers Union and the Port of Belize commenced today. The CWU appears on behalf of the Port of Belize Staff and the stevedores - with the PBL management on the other side of the table.
Today's session had to be postponed after a COVID concern was raised by one of the CWU's negotiating team. But President of the Union Mose Hyde gave a briefing in which he said his union was being pressured to stand down on the 21 days' notice of industrial action act the Port of Belize - but that is important for his union's leverage.
He said that coming out of today's session - the union and the Port had a rare joint statement:
Evan Mose Hyde - President, CWU
"Well, we just came out the tribunal and the chair of the tribunal is saying that they are an independent body, and the ministry of labour is an independent body and there was so such stipulations or any instructions given to them that the ministry of labour needed to come outside the conversation. Our joint position that the ministry of labour has to come to the table, create a tripartite negotiation with ourselves so that we can tackle the matter of negotiating the sugar separation compensation package."
