In a development from Belize’s legislative landscape, a key bill aimed at updating the nation’s occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations has been put on hold, but workers retain legal pathways to seek justice for workplace injuries, according to the leader of the country’s largest public service labor group.
Dean Flowers, president of the Public Service Union, has publicly thrown his weight behind ongoing efforts to strengthen the pending OSH Bill, commending independent senators who recently drew national attention to critical gaps and shortcomings in the current draft of the legislation. The bill has been officially shelved pending its second reading, a procedural delay that has left many workers questioning what protections they have access to in the interim.
Flowers told local outlet News 5 that the independent senators carried out exemplary work in communicating with Belizean citizens, clearly outlining why targeted amendments to the draft are necessary and why tough, unresolved questions must be addressed before the legislation can advance to final passage.
But Flowers’ most critical message was directed at working people across the country who may feel vulnerable or unprotected while the OSH reform sits in legislative limbo. The union leader reminded Belizeans that long-standing legal protections are already in effect through the country’s existing International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention Act. As a signatory to multiple core ILO conventions, including agreements specifically focused on occupational safety and health standards, Belize has already enshrined these international rules into domestic law.
“Those conventions already carry the force of law,” Flowers emphasized. In a direct statement to workers, he clarified: “If anybody is injured at their workplace, they can sue their employer, they can sue the government. So I just want to also put that out there without the passage of the OSH itself into law.”
The delay of the OSH Bill comes as Belize continues to grapple with calls for stronger workplace safety regulations, with labor advocates pushing for updated domestic legislation that codifies clearer standards, better enforcement mechanisms, and stronger protections for workers across all sectors. The independent senators’ critique of the current draft has delayed progression but also created space for public debate on what effective OSH reform should look like for the nation.