Tonight the joint unions have coordinated for a massive attack on government. Fortunately right now it's just a war of words, and the unions - and we mean ALL the unions, from hospital workers to students - had a lot of those today in a two hour press conference held in Belize City.
But they started with a rebuke for the government about those anti union ads you've seen on this newscast and social media.
The ads run the gamut, accusing the unions of irresponsibly pursuing civil disobedience to conspiring with the opposition.
Today, they blamed the government for those ads and called it a dangerous distraction:
Ella Waight, President, NTUCB
"The government of Belize must immediately cease the politicization of actions taken by union leaders and put an end to the personal attacks on their integrity. Union leaders are elected representatives of working people, not political pawns. Attempts to undermine their character for political gain not only weakens the democratic voice of workers but also affects the public trust in fair labor practices. This pattern of scapegoating is a dangerous distraction from the real issues facing our work force and our workers and an affront to the principles of justice, dignity and collective bargaining. Responsible leadership demands respectful dialogue, not character assassination. If this does not stop immediately, NTUCB will be submitting a case to the ILO Standards Application Committee. Basta, enough!"
