The stevedores are at war once again with the Port of Belize. This latest matter is the straw that broke the camel's back because, according to the CWU president, it's built around another contentious situation.
President Evan "Mose" Hyde explained that there were general foreman posts needed to be filled and the union put up two names but both were rejected by PBL. Hyde explained that these jobs couldn't be filled by just anybody, and they needed experienced workers. Now, because of the rejection of the two suggested substitutes, the rest of the gangs are standing in solidarity. Here's how Hyde explained the situation:
Evan "Mose" Hyde - President, CWU
"Couple of the position for general foreman had been opened up and we put the names of the people who were to fill these slots. Additionally, the general foreman had a concern about the number of drivers and so they met and discussed that they wanted to draw back on Mr Raymond Rivers and Mr Sean Middleton who had resigned last year but because that's the skill they possessed they wanted to have them back and they wanted two slots which were, we had two substitutes who unfortunately one retired and one passed and so they were recommended for two other people to full those gaps to make it the 28 and so those names were provided. There was no response to our email that was sent, the guys went out to work, and they were told that they would not be accepted and so the gang essentially has said well, we're not going to work, we needed to get some response from the Port, that is why I'm at the union office, we got the response about ten minutes ago and we have just put a response back to them. So they're rejecting the substitutes and they're rejecting the return of brother Rivers and brother Middleton."
Reporter
"So have they provided an explanation?"
Evan "Mose" Hyde
"They are saying that essentially they are not going have any additional workforce, they are not going to accept until a substitute agreement is put into place any other names to be put on the substitute list and so it's a possibility they did accept the name they put forward for the general foreman which is standard, that's what is done. So it really was, while I think it is important to say, it's happening with- there's a lot of emotions right now and even though the matter has not been in the media it is not as though it has been completely dormant. There's been a lot going on and so feel that we have acted immensely responsible because I don't think the media is even aware and the public is aware that one, our members voted on November 24th for industrial action."
And this issue acted as a springboard to launch the stevedores into action since they were already missing 4.5 million dollars in compensation for the sugar ships that went south to Big Creek late last year. Hyde explained that PBL offered them a form of compensation that felt more like a slap in the face:
Evan "Mose" Hyde
"Work is stalled because on the principle of it, we are dealing with a matter of solidarity so the refusal to accept these brothers back has triggered a stand off between the gangs and the work that needs to be done. We are hoping, and we are thinking, we believe that this is a matter that can be resolved but this is quickly escalating because the backdrop to all of this is an already tense situation where we have an impasse on something that for many of our members, it means a lot, the matter of the sugar situation. As far as the proposal goes in our negotiations, so our initially proposal to them was we wanted five million dollars. The Port first thing is we don't have anything to give you. They then subsequently made a very unusual proposal to our members which was really aggravating. Including in their proposal was a request for us to cut gangs and can you imagine that what was suggested to them was if you cut gangs and you get rid of about 28 or 30 stevedores then the rest of you who work there will work more often and will make more money and that is our compensation for you because sugar went. Just imagine that that was written to us. That was really like a low blow to be honest, I can't believe that was put to us. Additionally what they did put forward was that they were prepared to give the members their retirement savings which, that money is there so they were proposing that the compensation to our members be their very retirement savings that they had earned so from top to bottom it was really an unhealthy, bad faith situation. But we have remained engaged, we tried to work that process and then we appealed to the prime minister, saying, listen we know the critical nature of the port, we know where we are as a community as an economy we understand these things and we try to preach that to our members let's act responsibly so we are coming to you listen my members voted unanimously and we are saying to you can you intervene, can you resolve, can we get movement, can we get a respectful proposal, because that's how a negotiation goes, we start with something, you start with something and we make movement. It didn't get there unfortunately."
