Two weeks ago, the NTUCB was forced to postpone their rally due to heavy rainfall. But on Saturday, it coincided with their 59th anniversary. It started with a march from Civic Center to Battlefield Park, where the rally was held.
And this march wasn't just about salary adjustments for teachers and public officers. It was about unionism, solidarity, and holding the government to account. Courtney Menzies was there this weekend and has this story.
The NTUCB celebrated their 59th anniversary with a march through the Belize City streets, which ended in a rally at Battlefield Park. The first half of this year saw the joint unions, the KHMH workers union, the UB faculty and staff union, and the Christian Workers Union in various negotiations and discussions with the government. Each union is dealing with their individual issues, but yesterday, they all came out in a show of solidarity.
Ella Waight, President, NTUCB
"We're definitely out here to show what unionism is about. There are a lot of issues in this country right now that as workers, we need to see that we address them and this is the best way to do it, to show that workers do stand up when it is time to stand up and unity is important for us. We have to ensure that we have good governance in this country, we have to ensure that government is held accountable for the tax money that we pay into our government so that is why we're here to make a stand for what we need to see improve in this country and what better way to do it than on the anniversary of NTUCB, our 59th anniversary and what better day to do it than on a Saturday where it shows that these people out here are serious about making change in this country for workers."
Dean Flowers, President, PSU
"This rally today which is dubbed only the people can save the people is essentially that, ensuring that we hold government accountable, ensuring that the money that is being collected by way of our taxes and the leakages that are occurring seizes so that there can be fairer wages, better living standard, better quality public service and so that is really the rationale for this rally today, to ensure that we can all live a life of dignity and that those that we elect to power are not always those that keep becoming millionaires in five years because we can see it each and every term we elect a government."
But since the joint unions have accepted the government's last proposal as it relates to their salary adjustment and increments, we asked the NTUCB president if that has lessened the momentum - which may have been reflected in the numbers on the streets.
Ella Waight, President, NTUCB
"I don't think we've lost momentum. Of course those people who might say well we as the public servant or we as the teachers have gotten our negotiation through, we've gotten a deal so they may not feel to show up today but there was a mandate that they themselves said that they do not want this to end at this point, they want us to continue to push for good governance to push for a country that we can say respect unionism and respect the workers in this country. I don't think we've lost momentum and of course this is not the last you'll be seeing of us."
And that's because the other smaller unions still have their own kinks to work out with the government:
Julianne Pasos, Acting President, UBFSU
"The meeting has not occurred with the ministers, they actually responded to our request and the meeting will be scheduled until after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Cabinet will be polling the UB subvention at their meeting on Tuesday."
Courtney Menzies:
"What happens if you don't get the subvention reinstated?"
Julianne Pasos, Acting President, UBFSU
"Well then that's where we are preparing to meet with the board to then discuss that but we have to do our homework before we go there."
Reporter:
"And do you think that this can impact that opening of school, I know that it's supposed to open in two to three weeks, do you think that this can potentially impact that?"
Julianne Pasos, Acting President, UBFSU
"Well, honestly, like I mentioned in my interview, our faculty and staff are demoralized at this point. The 9% is ten years coming. In 2015 when we got our 5% I just got an email that reminded me that at that point we were negotiating for 14%, we only got 5 and we didn't get the additional 9%. This is long in the making so our faculty and staff are really going to do whatever it takes to get it and so I just have to say be prepared for whatever."
Andrew Baird, President, KHMHWU
"As you are aware that the KHMHA had filed a dispute to the labor department and because of that dispute we are within a 21 days notice and within that 21 days notice, we cannot do any industrial actions or so. And it was a membership decision for us not to participate as a means of not jeopardizing being at the table and act in bad faith because definitely if our membership had participated they would have been protesting and a protest is a form of industrial action. And I don't know if we would have been able to walk from Civic Center to Battlefield Park being mute and of course we have also agree not to discuss any terms of the negotiation at this time so our move was in best interest of our membership today."
Leonora Flowers, President, CWU
"As you can see from my shirt, the wait with the ESAT is a long one."
Courtney Menzies:
"The last time you guys had the press conference I think you said the following week you were supposed to meet, did that ever happen?"
Leonora Flowers, President, CWU
"Never happened, we are still here, we are still waiting, it's a long wait. And now added to that wait is also the labor department. But although we get impatient along the way, we have time on our hands. We have time on our side. We will be waiting because just is definitely going to have to come."
Courtney Menzies:
"Can you talk to us about the unlawful termination of persons from Central Bank?"
Leonora Flowers, President, CWU
"That goes to the second thing, waiting for the Labor Department. This is directly geared at them. I won't get into detail but there was definitely an unlawful termination and we're waiting to see how that is going to turn out."
And for the JUNT, their work also continues. The president of the BNTU explained what it was like for her to undergo long and intense negotiations in her first term.
Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU
"When I decided that I wanted to run for this position, I had no idea that I would deal with all of this within one year. But having served on the BNTU council and participated in national actions before. I was equipped. But some of the challenges I met in 2025, I wasn't prepared for those so I had to be witty, I had to be thinking outside of the box, look for ways to keep members engaged. That was important for me. And for me I realized that the movement has changed and if you pay attention to social media, they can dictate the course of the action so it's important for us as unions to stay engaged with our membership so that the outside noise don't drown what it is we need them to hear."
Dean Flowers, President, PSU
"I think we were very direct and frank with the other affiliates in terms of what our issues were. We were able to explain that to them, we were able to bring them to the table and request their support in this struggle because today it is the PSU, tomorrow it could very well be the KHMHWU as we're seeing right now and I want to state that all unions have issues. All unions struggle to get a fair collective bargaining agreement. What the workers at KHMH is going through at this moment in an effort to try and request their pension is something that clearly we will have to stand alongside them to defend that and to fight for that. What UBFSU is going through, we will also have to stand beside them to ensure that they get what is just and fair."
Sharon Fraser, President, APSSM
"There's still a number of outstanding issues about their preliminary request or demand from the government, there's still a number of issues. Our negotiation from the JUNT perspective is just about to start, that was only preliminary so the fight continues but yes we're here about celebration, we're here to celebrate NTUCB and the workers and their contribution."
