In a push to resolve longstanding communication breakdowns between organized labor and the national executive, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has formally requested the appointment of a dedicated union liaison directly embedded within the Office of Prime Minister John Briceño. The call comes after months of delayed responses, unfulfilled promises, and inconsistent access to top government leadership for NTUCB’s affiliated unions, according to NTUCB President Ella Waight.
The Belizean government has pushed back on the demand, arguing that existing channels are already structured to accommodate union concerns. Specifically, officials from the Prime Minister’s office note that the Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT) was created to serve as the official bridge between labor groups and the executive branch. JUNT currently holds formal collaboration agreements with the Deputy Prime Minister and three senior cabinet ministers, a framework the government says should address all labor-related outreach.
Waight, however, argues that the current structure leaves nearly half of NTUCB’s affiliates without consistent access to decision-makers. JUNT’s membership is limited to just three of NTUCB’s 12 total affiliate unions: the Public Service Senior Management Association (APSSM), the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU), and the Public Service Union (PSU), all of which represent government workers and public service employees. This structure leaves the remaining nine affiliates — including the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the Belize Communications Workers Union (BCWU), the KHMHWU, and the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union (UBFSU), among others — without a clear path to escalate national-level labor concerns directly to the Prime Minister’s office, Waight explained.
The NTUCB leader emphasized that the organization does not seek to dismantle or replace the existing JUNT framework, which has delivered results for its three member unions. Instead, the congress is asking for an additional, dedicated point of contact that can streamline NTUCB-wide advocacy on cross-cutting national issues that fall outside JUNT’s narrow mandate.
Waight outlined longstanding frustrations with the current ad-hoc communication process: NTUCB holds formal scheduled meetings with Prime Minister Briceño every six months, where the body raises concerns, secures commitments for legislative updates, policy documents, and the formation of new advisory committees, but follow-through from relevant ministries has been consistently lacking. When the union attempts to escalate unaddressed issues directly to the Prime Minister’s office via email, Waight said, responses can take months to arrive, if they come at all. In many cases, inquiries are misrouted to incorrect administrative staff, further delaying action on pressing labor matters.
“A dedicated liaison embedded in the Prime Minister’s office is the simple, targeted solution we need,” Waight stated. “We do not need multiple cabinet ministers assigned to our work — we just need one dedicated person who can cut through bureaucratic red tape and connect our entire congress directly to the top when issues cannot be resolved at the ministry level.”
As of September 23, 2026, the Prime Minister’s office has not issued a new formal response to the NTUCB’s formal request beyond the initial statement that existing communication channels are sufficient.