In a landmark ruling delivered on September 8, 2026, Belize’s Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal has ordered the Central Bank of Belize to pay nearly $27,000 in damages to a long-serving former employee whose 19-year tenure was cut short in an unjustified, procedurally flawed termination. The case was brought before the tribunal by the Christian Workers Union (CWU), which represented former senior clerk Dapheen Bowen after her dismissal over a controversial WhatsApp post.
Following a full review of the circumstances of Bowen’s termination, the tribunal determined that the Central Bank violated core mandatory disciplinary protocols outlined in the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement between the institution and its workers. Among the key procedural failures identified by the ruling: the bank failed to issue formal written notice of the complaint against Bowen, denied her adequate time to prepare a defense to the allegations, and completely bypassed the mutually agreed disciplinary process established in the collective bargaining framework.
The tribunal also issued a sharp rebuke of the internal investigation conducted by the Central Bank ahead of the dismissal, finding that the inquiry was neither impartial nor genuine. In its findings, the tribunal noted that bank leadership had effectively reached a predetermined conclusion of guilt before the investigative process even began, undermining any claim to fair process. Most critically, the ruling confirmed that there was no credible evidence to support the bank’s core justification for termination: the tribunal found no proof that Bowen’s WhatsApp post actually threatened, targeted, or caused harm to any individual affiliated with the central bank.
As a result of the ruling, the Central Bank has been ordered to disburse $26,998.50 in compensation to Bowen, a sum that will be adjusted to account for required statutory deductions. The outcome marks a significant win for organized labor in Belize, reinforcing the requirement that public sector institutions adhere to agreed-upon disciplinary procedures and protect workers from arbitrary termination.