NTUCB Demands Meeting with PM Over Stake Bank Acquisition Concerns

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize is demanding a meeting with Prime Minister John Briceno to ventilate their concerns over the stake bank acquisition. Today, the trade union showed up at FECTAB’s press conference to support the group, oppose the decision, and call for more clarity. Last month, the union sent a letter to the PM calling on the government to discontinue its attempt and stating that the basis for the acquisition is in no way for public purposes. The PM then wrote back to the union reaffirming the decision was indeed in the public’s best interests. But the NUTCB’s President Luke Martinez says the umbrella organization is not satisfied and believes the recent reports of the island possibly being sold to a foreign company highlight their concerns.

Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB: “He sent us a page of nothing a few weeks ago and so we’re still waiting for him to respond to us. As a matter of fact we’re still waiting to get around the table with him and his team to meaningfully discuss this issue. For the National Trade Union Congress this is beyond those who are securing their investment. We are securing our democracy. We are ensuring that we secure tax payer’s dollars, you tax money, Paul’s tax money, everybody’s tax money. So for us it’s a tax issue as well as a very serious governance issue. During COVID the government took over $80 million dollars from public officers, just strong it. And so now we have an acquisition that is about to happen, hopefully it doesn’t happen, which will continue to consolidate what everybody is saying that we’re facing a dictatorship. And so as the vanguards of democracy we have to ensure that we follow this issue and ensure that it works out for Belizeans.”

Reporter: So have you written back to the PM to say his response is insufficient and pressed on the unanswered questions and requested a meeting ? 

Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB: “We wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to express that we are prepared to come around the table to discuss this issue and ventilate it there through the social dialogue vehicle and so we are confident that the Prime Minister will accept that meeting and we could discuss that along with a lot of other issues.”

Martinez added that the union wants an urgent meeting with the government to discuss a range of issue