The Belize Energy Workers for Justice have not given up their fight for the severance pay and pension. Today, they protested in front of the National Assembly, bearing the Belmopan heat, all for a chance to speak with the Prime Minister. The Minister of Labor visited them and promised to take their issue to Cabinet. But the BEWJ says BEL is planning to go back to court.
Dorla Staine - Member, BEWJ
"We have tried other means, we have protested before, we went to BEL's headquarters, we've had press conferences, we have spoken to the Minister, he said that he supports us and he will take our matter to the Cabinet, he will take the matter to the attorney general to look over the records as BEL is preparing to go to the court again on a matter that has been ruled, we don't understand that so we find it crucial to come here today that the House is meeting to see if we could talk to the Prime Minister who is ultimately the head of the whole country and he has the biggest decision he could make and help us the elderly workers who have already given our time and efforts to the country."
"BEL said that they will go to the high court to seek what they call declaratory relief to see if the court will tell them that they are on the right track or whether otherwise, if they should pay us which I don't understand because I don know how you can't understand what is a court ruling, they are trying to say what has applied to BTL does not apply to us and that is not the case because our severance is not wrapped up in our pension and that is what they're trying to say. Also what is so hurtful to us that Mr Lynn Young who sits as chairman of the board now and also acting CEO because they have not gotten a CEO so far has already collected his money. When they left the company in 2011, they abandoned the country, they jumped ship from BEL and went with BECOL."
"and now the government put back this man in there again, first of all to sell BECOL back to the country which should have come to us for $1."
"we want to stress that court doesn't take overnight."
"We have members who have died, we have members in the hospital, and some of us are just limping along. I am here speaking but I have health issues, I have kidney issues, I am standing here with one kidney, but I'm fighting."
