But while he had his say - the PUP majority had its way - and debate in 6 days they must.
While that will be a two day affair, the fourth and final supplementary appropriation bill for this closing financial year got much shorter shrift.
Now, while his government has taken criticism for the other 3, the Prime Minister made it clear today that this new supplementary which was tabled is for the 1.5 million dollars that the government handed over to the stevedores as an ex gratia payment.
Viewers will remember that the management of the Port of Belize, who are the employers of the stevedores, attempted to block that payment under the complaint that the government did not get prior parliamentary approval to enter. They have managed to convince Justice Lisa Shoman to grant an interim injunction against the Christian Workers Union, the bargaining agent of the stevedores, from handing over the rest of the money.
That case is scheduled to resume tomorrow in the Supreme Court. But today - just in time to capitalize on the fact there are currently no adverse opinions from a judge on that payout of these public funds - the Prime Minister tabled this bill to get parliament's approval, and hopefully put the government's actions above reproach.
Here's how he explained that the government had to quickly end the December 2021 shipping crisis that resulted during the protest actions by the stevedores and that this expense was legitimately "urgent and unforeseen":
Hon. John Briceno - Prime Minister
"Regrettably, quite apart from the impact on the Port and stevedores that these disputes caused, the wider implications of shutdowns and work stoppages at the Port are all too obvious. Commerce is held at ransom. Paralysis in the import and export process, even for a few hours can cause substantial commercial losses across the economy, drive up the price of goods and create scarcity of essential imports. The Supplementary Appropriation Bill, which I now table for consideration is for the ex gratia payment of 1.5 million dollars, as agreed between the Port Authority of Belize, Ministry of Public Utilities and Logistics, and the Christian Workers Union on behalf of the stevedores, in a memorandum of understanding signed on February 3, 2022. This one-time payment recognizes that circumstances at the Port of Belize have changed since privatization in 2002, in other words, that certain commitments the stevedores understood were made to them have evolved in a different manner than they understood them to be. The CWU has committed to resolving various issues, critical issues such as the hours at work at the bargaining table. The government has also reiterated its willingness to address 2 other outstanding matters, a social security regulation amendment and claims arising from a protest which took place in July of 2020, under the previous administration. Given that just over a month, at the height of the standoff, hundreds of containers were stranded, ships were being turned away from Belize, millions of dollars in imports and exports came to a standstill, millions of dollars in tax revenues were being lost, and the business climate stood to suffer potentially irreparable damage, Government judged that there was an urgent and unforeseen need to settle this matter promptly, and did so upon the terms set forth in the MOU. These terms included the immediate resumption of work at the Port by stevedores, and payment by Government to the stevedores of the sum of 1.5 million dollars in a timely manner, which the government duly effected."
