OSH Bill Nears House Debate After Years of Union Advocacy

A draft of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill is being finalized for presentation in the House of Representatives. This development comes after years of persistent advocacy by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), which has repeatedly called for stronger legal protection for workers.  The OSH Bill has been stalled for over a decade, despite repeated assurances by successive administrations. The NTUCB has consistently criticized the government for the delay and called for its implementation. The union had worked closely with the Ministry of Labor and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) on its draft. Today, our newsroom heard from BCCI President Katherine Meighan about the news and importance of the piece of legislation. 

Katherine Meighan, President, BCCI: “The way how we see it at the BCCI, and I can tell you as well, is we’ve always and will continue to be and see legislation like this as really a tripartite arrangement. When I say that, it really is a collaboration between the government, employees and employers. We have various reasons why legislations of this sort is important. One, we need to make sure that our employees are protected. Employers also want to ensure that the environment in which their employees are working and where their clients and customers are coming into, if it’s more of a retail environment, is safe and is healthy and is the  right type of environment for business transactions at the same time. So it’s something that’s important and something that will allow us to take  our economy our country our community to the next level. The way how we see this is the OSH is really we see the OSH as a practical approach because we have been involved in the discussions and we’ve sat at tables for hours discussing what we feel is the right approach and an approach that is practical, an approach that is enforceable, and also an approach that supports both the workers and ensure that there is sustainability and continuity for our business. And that’s important. We’re not looking to shut down any sort of business and I’m sure the collaborators will feel the same. We’re not looking to put employees in an unsafe environment. So it’s us trying to find that collaborative approach and make sure that it is the right approach for now and what it can mean into the future as well. And I think when we think about it for now, that’s also very critical as well, because we’re all growing, we’re all learning, we all have stages and we all need time to get to exactly where we need to get to.”

Meighan noted that while the BCCI is yet to review the final draft, it played a key role in its creation. She underscored that the bill was years in the making and seeks to address concerns of both employers and employees. 

Katherine Meighan, President, BCCI: “It’s important that our members, that the business community in particular, understand what this legislation will actually mean and can prepare. Sustainability, continuity is critical to business success. And collaboration is critical as well. And you get that sustainability and continuity through collaboration, through being able to find that medium for the now and then find that medium for the future as well. Last year, we did work alongside NTUCB and were able to come up, and this is just last year, that means we’ve been working throughout the years as well, and come up with what we really felt was a great outline for what concerns we had, also what recommendations we had. This was a collaborative effort, meaning when that document was presented, it was one that both parties felt as if it was the right approach for the moment. We again have not seen that final version. So we’re hoping to be able to see that very soon and see where it really is today. And again, we see that as a next step in the continuity of the collaborative approach and really in the continuity of making sure that the regulation is not only a regulation that sits on the books, but a regulation that can be applied, that’s practical, that’s sustainable, that achieves the objectives that it’s looking out to achieve.”

Love News reached out to the NTUCB for comment on this latest development. However, the umbrella organization said it had not yet received the final draft of the proposed bill and was unable to provide feedback.