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                   Ella Waight

Ella Waight, President, NTUCB

“We had suggested this from the get go when we first met with him November 2024 that we want to have quarterly meetings. This allows for these conversations, and clarification of national issues with workers and the government. It will avoid having disruption with government service, with employers and employees, because we get an understanding. We are welcomed to sit around the table. We want to be partners with government. We need them and they need us to make sure this country is a very productive country. We have limited resources. We have to spend these resources wisely. When workers say we want a salary adjustment, increase in paternity and maternity leave, it has to come from these limited resources. So, the government has to spend the limited resources efficiently and effectively so that when we ask for these things it can be important for us. That is why it is important for citizens to keep up with national issues and take part. That is why for us, quarterly meetings with the prime minister and his team will ensure this happens.”

The post Will PM Briceño Agree to Regular Union Meetings? first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

                    Ella Waight

Ella Waight, President, NTUCB

“We at NTUCB, we are open to this discussion. They can reach out to us. Our number is all over Facebook and the media. We can assist, but if we don’t know what the issue is we cannot assist. We don’t just represent unionized workers. We represent workers of this country. But for us to know what is happening they can reach out to us, or if they feel more comfortable they can go directly to the Public Service Union. They can do that as well. Brother Dean is always available and ready to stand up for public service workers. They can reach out, because that should not be an issue with time and age. That should not be an issue and if it comes from being vindictive, that is something we would stand up for as NTUCB.”

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                    Ashley Longford

Ashley Longford, Director of Young Vanguard, NTUCB

“In one of my action goals and one of the goals for the NTUCB is to unionize the BPO sector. We have seen on the news and time after time the employees at the BPO sector going through disfranchisement. They are disconnected from the spaces here and they feel that the BPO sector is some sort of modern-day slavery and there is nobody to fight for them. That is one of the goal, to have the BPO sector be unionized. If you notice at the BPO sector, there are a lot of young people. Young people work at those sectors and mostly form the age of eighteen to thirty, even after they finish high school or six form, most of them go to the BPO sector. But the thing is we don’t want the BPO sector to take advantage. So, in having the Young Vanguard there to help them and giving them the knowledge of what labor laws are and their rights are, is a win, win, for the employer and to them, most importantly as well. I think the benefit for the employees is that they have a collective voice. As a union we could collectively bargain for them and that now we could be more to say that this is wrong and accountability truly matter to the employer.”

While discussions with industry stakeholders have yet to begin, the call has already ignited a wider debate: should Belize’s fastest‑growing job sector be unionized, and who truly benefits if it is?

The post NTUCB Youth Vanguard Eyes Unionization of BPO Sector first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Shane Williams, Reporting

As Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies rapidly reshape the world of work, Belize is racing to stay ahead of the curve. That’s why today, key stakeholders came together for a workshop on the Global Digital Services Investment Policy and Strategy, zeroing in on one exciting area, the Orange Economy. CEO in the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Investment, Narda Garcia, told us why this strategy is critical for the country’s future.

Narda Garcia

Narda Garcia, CEO, Ministry of Investment

“We stand at a pivotal moment in our nation’s economic history. Behind the impressive statistics of our thriving BPO sector that is employing over twenty thousand Belizeans, predominantly women and young people, lies a vulnerability we can no longer ignore our success in business process outsourcing what business process outsourcing. Has built what many may call an economic castle. However, there are twin storms approaching one artificial intelligence and protectionist foreign legislation that threaten its very foundation unless we act decisively.”

And acting decisively means, instead of looking at the challenges as roadblocks and hindrances, developing strategies that use AI as a tool and job security threats as a catalyst for skills diversification.

Lincoln Blake

Lincoln Blake, Director, Investment Policy and Compliance Unit

“We brought in the stakeholders because they will be affected, they will be the ones that are impacting the sector. They will be the ones that will retain the employment. Now, for example, in the case of the artificial intelligence, really and truly a lot of people are doubtful. They say, dunno it’s gonna take our jobs. But really and truly. AI is a tool like anything else, and we need to train our people to properly use it so as, to be able to cope in international arena because if you’re able to master those new technologies, because it’s not only ai. There’s several, there’s 3D printers. No we, who knows? We, there’s some experts saying that in the next five years it may be printing or food. So so we need to prepare for all of that. We need to prepare. It’s a paradigm shift. Even the we, how we are educating our people. It should be different. Now some experts are talking about, about, about you. Going to the university means that you might not only get one major, you should be getting three majors.”

And while pursuing multiple degrees is not on the table for most, the status quo is not an option. Those who will survive and thrive in the future are those who adapt to modern technology and embrace the orange economy. Consultant Luis Parilla is leading the exercise to develop Belize’s Global Digital Strategy. He says the strategy will rely on six pillars.

Luis Parrilla

Luis Parrilla, Consultant

“The key pillars of the strategy are six comprehensive pillars that encompass many elements legal reform, incentive reform education capacity training. Visibility and export but also data governance and interagency operability.”

Shane Williams

“If implemented properly, what should we expect?”

Luis Parilla

“You should expect enhanced environment for the growth of these sectors, right? You should be able to see a clear pathways for the Vian workforce and the Vian youth to, to be educated and trained in these skills, in this high digital skills and soft skills that prepare them to go into the labor market and to have a professional careers. Both locally and internationally, and also to harness some international and international resources, right? For the workforce and for the students to be able also to be properly trained and have this the spaces and the opportunities to thrive..”

For the past decade, the BPO industry has been one of Belize’s biggest job creators. Today, nearly twenty thousand agents make up about eleven percent of the workforce. But with AI on the rise and ‘America First’ policies gaining traction, should these employees be worried about their future? We put that question to Victoria Tun, President of the BPO Association.

Victoria Tun

Victoria Tun, Vice-President, BPO Association

“I think all the BPOs are looking at what’s happening in the US, what could happen. But we do understand as an industry, we need to understand that this will affect our tier one, meaning our agents that are mainly doing like appointment status and stuff like that. I think what we have noticed over the coming weeks to come is that we are going into let’s skillset our people, upskilling them. Let’s train them with critical thinking. What’s the next motive and where else can we help them motivate and as well place them to work.”

While optimism for the future of the industry among stakeholders remains high, CEO Garcia says government is ensuring that our labor force is prepared to meet tomorrow’s needs.

Narda Garcia

“We cannot remove the fact of the inevitable that AI will come and will not finish our BPO sector but will change it. And so as I mentioned and I quoted the honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs that we cannot be afraid. We have to be prepared for whatever comes.”

Belize’s Global Digital Strategy is a five-year plan, but policy makers are keenly aware that the need to adapt to technological advancement is an almost daily exercise. Shane Williams for News Five.

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According to Vaessa Vellos, SSB’s Communications and PR Manager, the decision follows nearly a year of internal testing and user feedback. “We feel that the system is robust enough for us to now take the next leap in the journey of having full online submission for sickness benefit claims.” 

Previously, claimants had to fill out forms manually, visit their workplace’s HR department, see a doctor, and return documents in person. The new system allows employees, employers, and doctors to complete their portions of the claim electronically. “Now you control the narrative… with my portal account, I can do all aspects of that online.”

SSB says it aims to process and pay sickness benefits within three business days under the new system. “Isn’t their time more valuable than standing in line?” she added. 

For those less comfortable with technology, Vellos assured that support is available. “We have customer service agents ready and willing to assist you, to interact with the portal, and learn how to use it.”

The board processes roughly 5,600 sickness claims each month, and over 70,000 users are already registered on the portal. SSB says retirement and maternity benefits will also move online in the near future.

The post No More Paper! SSB Plans to Go Fully Digital with Sickness Benefit Claims first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

In a recent statement, PSU President Flowers accused BAHA’s managing director of bypassing disciplinary protocols. “She would have converted herself and her role as managing director to accuser, judge, jury, and executioner,” Flowers said. He claimed that two long-serving employees were “sent home without a penny, putting 15 years of their life into the garbage” and warned that more dismissals may be imminent.

BAHA rejected the union’s assertions as “libelous, presumptuous, and in bad faith.” The authority stated it does not comment on individual employment cases to protect privacy but emphasised that it follows the disciplinary procedures outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), including notice, the opportunity to respond, and the right to representation.

“Corruption, theft, and dereliction of duties are unacceptable,” BAHA stated. “When facts support that gross misconduct has occurred, proportionate disciplinary action is taken.”

BAHA also pointed out that the PSU was not involved in the recent disciplinary matters and had not requested information on behalf of any member. They further invited the union to engage through the dispute-resolution mechanisms set out in the CBA.

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Belize’s delegation included Minister Florencio Marin Jr, CEO Valentino Shal, and Labour Commissioner Rissela Dominguez-Patt. Representing employers was Kim Aikman from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while Ella Waight from the National Trade Union Congress of Belize spoke on behalf of workers.

More than 300 participants from governments, businesses, and labour organisations discussed ways to create more jobs, protect workers, and make workplaces fairer and safer. The meeting concluded with the Punta Cana Declaration, a commitment to strengthen democracy, peace, and decent work in the region.

The outcomes of the meeting will help guide Belize’s national policies under its Decent Work Country Programme 2024 to 2029. For Belizeans, this could mean real improvements in job opportunities, working conditions, and how decisions are made about labour and development.

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                         Louis Zabaneh

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Representative, Dangriga

“When it comes to Ready Call earlier this year, it was acquired by another BPO down here, and you had mentioned that the, you were looking to get another BPO because about two thousand people were employed at that Ready Call that got acquired, and there’s no one that reopened after that. Where are we in terms of getting another BPO down here? In Dangriga, we had we were moving towards two hundred at the center that they had here in Dangriga. And a couple of things happened first while we obviously were not privy to around January, February, when those negotiations were going on with the sale to another company. So looking back now and understanding that is what was happening we, we have a better. More clarity on why it is that the pressure that we were placing for the wages to go up from seven dollars an hour closer to what the industry was offering above eight, nine dollars an hour didn’t materialize well. They were in the process of transitioning to the new company. Fortunately, another company in Belmopan started to hire our people here. And now we have three busses that leave to Belmopan. So that company that have employed our people we are again in consultation with some of the same people who helped us to bring radical here. We have the facilities here and we certainly would welcome another provider another company to come to Dangriga, in addition to the fact that we now have quite a number of our people employed in the sector. This time mostly in Belmopan or working from home.”

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