NTUCB Demands Resignation of Labour Minister Over Delayed OSH Bill

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) is calling for the resignation of the Labour Minister, Oscar Requena.  The call comes after the long wait for the Occupational Safety and Health Bill, also known as the OSH Bill.  President of the Union, Luke Martinez, spoke with Love News late this evening indicating that Minister Requena has other priorities than the safety of Belizeans.

Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB: “I think the Minister of Labor needs to resign. He can’t handle that portfolio and he needs to give up that portfolio. Look, you mentioned the prime minister I really don’t know what the prime minister is on. The prime minister is on a global campaign because you see him making these international trade trips. When he’s here he’s meeting with all of the other interests groups. He has no interest in trying to understand the labor market system in Belize, he refused to sit down with the National Trade Union Congress and said look let’s iron out these issues, let’s  get the OSH behind us. So I don’t understand. It must be that this administration doesn’t give a damn about labor. They don’t give a damn about the workers and what happened. I don’t know. You need to sit down with the prime minister and ask him. I can’t tell you sit down with the Minister of Labor and ask him because I don’t even think the Minister of Labor understands his portfolio under Ministry of Labour. So I don’t think you’ll make any headway in speaking with him. Sit down with the Prime Minister and asked the Prime Minister. Look, the bill was sent from the Ministry of Labour to the Attorney General’s Ministry three months ago. We wrote the Attorney General Ministry for an update. The response from the Attorney General’s Ministry was that, oh, we’re don’t provide update to NTUCB and if we’re to provide any update, we’ll provide an update to the Ministry of Labour. So go to the Ministry of Labour for an update. So even the Attorney General Ministry is playing games with the revision of the bill.”