Today over 20 Social Security Inspectors gathered at Headquarters in Belmopan to demand a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer. The inspectors are part of the CWU and they say that one Inspector - who is not a union member - is getting preferential treatment.
That's because the long established practice at Social Security is that inspectors have to be transferred every three years. But they say this one inspector has been consistently given preferential treatment.
PLUS TV spoke to the President of the CWU and the Social Security Union rep in Belmopan and we spoke to them Via Zoom today.
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"We are ensuring that management gets the picture that the union on a whole, and especially the inspectors are not happy about the decision they made recently. They rescinded a transfer for an inspector when inspectors are transferred every three years, that has been a practice of social security for the last 42 years, as the CEO said this morning in our meeting. We have an inspector who has been in one specific location for the past nine years. It has become a problem for us at the union that our members have been asking what's going on here."
"Our members have been transferred right, left and center within this country. This specific person has spent nine years in one location and that has been the contention that we're looking at today."
Ella Waight, Chief Union Representative, SSB
"Over 20 inspectors, I say about 23 inspectors are here in Belmopan trying one last time to encourage the CEO to do the right thing, the fair thing to them, which is to have the inspector transferred as should be as all inspectors are transferred every three years."
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"The person we're talking about getting the special treatment is not a union member. So it goes without saying that our members would believe it's union busting. If you can't meet out the same kind of justice to everyone, then our members are at a loss. So it is union busting."
"All we ask for is for fair treatment, just and fair treatment of all the staffers working here at Social Security."
Ella Waight, Chief Union Representative, SSB
"But to try again one last try, being a responsible union, we're trying one last time to reach out to the CEO for her to do the right thing and the fair thing and that is why we are here today. If not, our inspectors are looking forward to take other actions."
Leonora Flowers, CWU President
"And we will not show our hands. We know what we have at our disposal. Our members are firm about this. They've given us a clear directive and we will continue to take a stand on their behalf."
We'll keep you posted on what the next steps are.
