And now we turn to the orders of the day. The OSH Bill is back in the house.
"Rush the OSH" - you've probably heard this statement chanted by the NTUCB presidents, past and present, and after 17 long years, the Occupational Safety and Health bill was finally passed in the House of Representatives. This bill seeks to protect employees and to mandate that it is the employer's duty to ensure the safety of their workers. It's an extremely significant bill which will see the outdated factories bill be repealed - and it's been a long time coming.
And it had full parliamentary support today - mostly because the UDP members were absent due to their boycott in opposition to the proposed Speednet acquisition. When the Minister of Health and Wellness rose to support the bill, he threw a few shots at them.
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness
"I must make this comment that I find it deeply disappointing that on the second reading of such an important and long overdue piece of legislation, a bill that directly protects the lives, health and safety of Belizean workers, the opposition chose boycott over responsibility. One has to ask, does the leader of the position and the UDP truly care about the Belizean worker?"
"Because if they did, Madam Speaker, they would be here in this house today debating, contributing and standing up for the very people this occupational safety and health bill is designed to protect. So I rise, Madam Speaker, in full support of the occupational safety and health bill 2025, a bill that is not only about regulation but about protection, dignity and the fundamental right of every Belizean worker to return home safe and healthy at the end of the work day. At its core, this legislation recognises something simple but powerful, that safe work is a public health issue, an economic issue and a human rights issue."
