The Occupational Safety and Health Bill finally made its way to the Senate but while you may be thinking "rush the OSH," the bill remains in the lower house tonight. That's because after some debate, the Senate agreed to keep it in the committee of the whole house and to invite the labor commissioner to address some concerns.
But before that decision was made, UDP Senator Patrick Faber addressed a glaring concern:
Patrick Faber, UDP Senator
"A big omission is protection for our domestic workers."
"Subsection two says not withstanding subsection 1, this act does not apply to any owner or occupier of a private residence, the surrounding land or any associated proper where a domestic worker provides domestic work. In one stroke, just that clause alone, that clause exempts thousands of Belizean workers."
"All the women in this honorable house of the Senate should speak on this matter because the exclusion of domestic matters primarily affects our women in this country. So when you make a bill like this and say ah yes, not domestic workers, we have to ask ourselves, who are the domestic workers?"
The Judges' Salaries and Pensions Bill was also kept to the Committee of the Whole House. At this time, the Senate has concluded two successive days of meetings.
