A planned corporate acquisition in Belize’s telecommunications sector has sparked escalating tension between organized labor and industry regulators, as the country’s largest union confederation has publicly condemned its exclusion from the regulatory review process for the proposed takeover of Speednet by Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL).
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), which represents the nation’s organized workforce, says it has repeatedly logged formal concerns about the merger but has seen zero meaningful influence over the review and negotiation process. NTUCB President Ella Waight accused BTL of outright disregard for labor’s input on this high-stakes national economic deal, at a time when the final decision on whether to approve the acquisition rests with the country’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
In a blunt, on-the-record interview, Waight pushed back against the narrative that labor only seeks a token seat at the table. “We don’t want to just be heard, we are not an entity that just want to be heard, we want to be adhered to. We want to be taken seriously and our recommendations adhered to,” Waight stated. “We don’t sit here to be heard. If that is the case, forget BCCI, forget NTUCB on any board of directors on SSB on BTL. We are not just here to be place holders. We are here to make meaningful input and provide guidance from the congress which represents workers of this country.”
When asked directly to rate her level of trust in the PUC, the independent regulator tasked with weighing the public interest in approving the deal, Waight gave an unflinching answer: zero. She explained that the NTUCB has reached out to the PUC at least twice in writing to request a meeting and clarify key details of the review process, but the commission has not even acknowledged the union’s correspondence. That lack of engagement has erased any confidence the union body may have had in the regulator’s ability to deliver a fair, balanced decision.
This report is a transcribed excerpt from a televised evening news broadcast, with all statements preserved in their original context for online publication.