And while that board is expected to be in place possibly by the end of this week, Government has taken the lead on what it hoped would be the first good faith gesture to the stevedores. They today announced the disbursement of $400,000 dollars to the CWU - which the balance of an ex gratia payment made in 2022 - the full disbursement of which the Ashcroft Alliance had blocked with an injunction.
This afternoon at a press conference, the CWU said that 400 grand doesn't move them. They want to talk to the PM about their long delayed redundancy payment for BSI moving its sugar shipment to another port:
Mannan Dennison, Stevedore
"We are not waiting for no 473 thousand dollars that already was given to us. That's in the garbage box. That was already given to us to go back to work."
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"Today we are here to say we are focused 100% on ensuring that our members, our stevedores, get what is rightly theirs."
"Government at the moment, all the releases are saying that the stevedores are going to get the $473,000 that sits under the injunction. That's welcoming for those stevedores who have not been paid base on the March 6 agreement, but that is nothing to play with because that is not the sugar money that we've been discussing over the years. And that is what we want to bring 100% focus on."
Guy Neal, Stevedore
"We are a black people on the southside and we have a lot of strength. So you need to get it right. That 400,000 plus don't have nothing to do with the price of rice. We want we want redundancy in our sugar that leave us. I alone lose 17,000 dollars on my salary. So you need to get it right. You need to come to the table because its not done here."
Bruce Diaz, Stevedore
"We have not heard anything about sugar compensation. Yes, we have heard the Deputy Prime Minister say we are going to get the 400,000 plus as they said. That is under the water that was given to us. The stevedores are waiting the payments for the loss of wages for the bulk sugar that left Belize and went down to Big Creek."
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"On this side of the table, there is a lot to be desired. And we expect, we anticipate and CWU will ensure that the stevedore get what they desire, what they deserve. We would like for the prime minister to inform us, CWU, what is the interim board?"
"What is the term? What are their terms? What are their responsibility, the role, and how long they will be in place, because CWU has not gotten an opportunity to put anyone on that board. The unions did not choose."
"The unions did not choose a representative."
Reporter
"Senator Elena Smith has been placed on the interim board as well. And you correct me if I'm wrong, she has been a lifelong trade unionist."
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"She has been placed there. That placing there may be strategic. We don't know. At CWU, whenever we go to put people on boards, there is a voting. There has been no voting, because we are a member, we are a partner, an affiliate. of the NTUCB. So I'm saying this is a board. Where are we on that board? An interim board, they're calling it. But we noticed they're flagging the 473. We're not going to be blindsided by that. That money is money in the bank already."
"We need to be consulted. We need to know what's going on. We have not been consulted. And already they're putting somebody there and saying, their are representing the union. And again, I say no disrespect to sister Elena, but CWU was not consulted."
A statement from the government today says that priority would be given "to engaging with staff and labor representatives and commencing a program of improvements to the Port facilities." It adds that no interruptions to the ongoing operations of the Port are expected as the ownership transition unfolds later this week.
And while the government is gushing over its reacquired asset, the CWU leadership is unimpressed. They say the Port never should have been privatized to developer Luke Espat in the first place. Espat later ran into trouble with the bank and it ended up in the hands of the Ashcroft Alliance - with no resistance from the then government:
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"This Ashcroft and Belize relations is a self-inflicted one by the government of Belize, both government from time to time, and we recognize that. And the people who have suffered the most are the workers, the stevedores, our members."
"This is what we get when our government gets into nefarious relations with somebody and gets into bed with Ashcroft and this is what they put on us today. This will stay on our children for many, many, many years."
