A bitter standoff between Belize’s national government and the country’s leading trade union coalition has entered a new, more heated phase, after cabinet officials rejected nearly all of the 11 core demands put forward by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB).
NTUCB President Ella Waight has publicly slammed Prime Minister for dismissing the coalition’s long-held concerns out of hand, with the future of state-linked telecommunications firm Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) emerging as the central point of contention. The NTUCB has pushed for two key changes at BTL: the immediate removal of Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga and a full restructuring of the company’s board of directors. Both proposals were flatly rejected by the Prime Minister, who defended Lizarraga’s tenure by pointing to consistent profitability BTL has delivered under his leadership.
But Waight pushed back against that justification in a recent press interview, arguing that strong financial results do not address the broader governance and workplace concerns the union coalition has raised. “Generating profit is the fundamental job of the BTL chairman, the entire board, and the company’s management team,” Waight explained. “That’s what they’re tasked to do — it’s not some extraordinary achievement that justifies brushing aside every other issue we’ve raised.”
Waight specifically cited Lizarraga’s dismissive attitude toward union concerns and his aggressive push to acquire rival telecommunications firm Smart as unresolved red flags. She also noted that rank-and-file BTL staff broadly lack confidence in Lizarraga’s leadership, a sentiment that has not eased despite the company’s positive bottom line. “Whether that trust can be repaired at this point is an open question,” Waight added, deferring to the Belize Communication Workers Union for updates on shifting staff sentiment in recent weeks.
Waight also pushed back on the Prime Minister’s claim that unions already have adequate representation on the BTL board via a proxy seat through the Belize Social Security Board. The NTUCB’s demand for board restructuring centers on implementing a formal tripartite governance structure that includes representation not only from the NTUCB, but also from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) as the official employer representative, and the government as the controlling stakeholder.
Waight emphasized that the existing informal union-linked seat is not a permanent, independent voice for the NTUCB. “The current representative appointed through the Social Security Board can be removed at any time, and she was never elected by the NTUCB to serve as our direct representative on the BTL board in the first place,” Waight clarified. “She was elected to represent our coalition on the Social Security Board, not the telecom firm’s governing body.”
As the deadlock holds, both sides remain firm in their positions, leaving the future of the dispute uncertain with the NTUCB indicating it will continue pushing for concrete action to address its demands.