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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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from a friend....

There were many angry shareholders at last night's BTL AGM - mostly
about the 2 and a half Belize cents dividends per share declared - one
tenth of what they got last year. Eerily, Lord Ashcroft had predicted
this 3 years ago when GOB kicked him out and got into bed with
Prossie.

The media will report this later I guess, but briefly minority
shareholders turn out in grand style at the AGM for their treats and
to see how much money they will collect. But this year there were a
lot of long faces, which turned into angry faces soon enough.

As one Orange Walk Town shareholder lamented, the dividends he got
cannot even pay for the gasoline for his trip to the AGM.

I am guessing ** was right when she advised not to buy shares in
BTL. What is to prevent a reprise say in 5 years or so?

The BTL mess made money for everyone involved about - $30 million. The
guys who got little are the minority shareholders - $0.9 million in
dividends. And the tax payers have to cough up more taxes to make good
the loans defaulted and the various multi-million dollar fees and
legal expenses.

The unions were moaning all night long about their shares but no one
listened. Not the angry minority shareholders or the stoic directors.
I too am getting tired of the union moaning - sigh. Prossies attorney
was nearly thrown out of the meeting, but hey, the man still owns 30%
of BTL.

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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lil more along this line..
===============

The BTL unions are taking strike action starting tomorrow.

They are mad at the government for "not facilitating their purchase of
BTL shares".

As reported earlier, the unions are also upset that GOB took $20
million from Social Security for on-lending to Sunshine Ltd. which is
a Trust company holding the shares until the unionists cough up some
of their fat pension fund or personal savings to buy the shares.

So the BTL employees will go on a work-to-rule and then a go-slow.

So if you do not yet have your redundant voice-Internet-electricity
systems in place - maybe get ready to grind your teeth some?

I will not be shocked if Internet is down tomorrow at 6 when the next
shift takes over - oops the guys who worked last night accidentally
unplugged something and the rules state that we are not allowed to
plug it back in - have to wait until the official plug in guy comes in
on the next shift ;-)

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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another view...
=================
Anyway, about the whole BTL issue. I find it hard to feel sorry for these guys as most of this was of their own doing. I heard the husband and wife team this morning on the radio and in all honesty, I am way short of being impressed. The fact of the matter is that if they had given them the ten million, it wouldn't have matter much where it came from. I understand that Cedric Flowers did a pretty good job of putting it all in perspective the other night on the Kremandala show and I hope he doesn't get kicked off as a result. Personally I believe that the employees of BTL should have been made to pay back for all that expensive equipment that they damaged. Plus the monies that would have been charged if the Miami court ruling had stood. Afterall, GOB was more than willing to allow the conference that was ordered by the court and the only reason it did not happen was because they sabotaged the equipment.

Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,267
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BTL workers announced yesterday that an industrial action will commence today. It will be a "go slow" program. Employees are instructed to do the minimum job description - just sufficient to keep them from being fired. No weekends, no emergencies.
So if some unforseen force happens to topple a pole or sever a line, we will be out of luck - again.

Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 144
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Quote
Originally posted by Diane Campbell:
BTL workers announced yesterday that an industrial action will commence today. It will be a "go slow" program. Employees are instructed to do the minimum job description - just sufficient to keep them from being fired. No weekends, no emergencies.
So if some unforseen force happens to topple a pole or sever a line, we will be out of luck - again.
How will anyone know the difference?

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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UNION LEADER DESCRIBES INDUSTRIAL ACTION


The Belize Telecommunications Workers Union announced yesterday that they are starting industrial action today. The first step is work-to-rule beginning today, and the second is a go-slow to begin Monday. The industrial action comes after Government failed to meet a union ultimatum to turn over certain documents by noon yesterday. The documents demanded by the union have to do with the Sunshine Holding issue. Love News spoke with union General Secretary Christine Perriott this morning. Perriott described for us what effect work-to-rule and go-slow will have on the public.

Christine Perriott:



The work-to-rule and go slow will affect the company at a crucial time, and yes it will affect the company and everybody out there. The work-to-rule is by working only the requirement of the job description and the hours in your job description which majority of the workers is 8-12 and 1-5. We have some workers that go 9-6 and some are on shifts. So whatever your hours are and I'll take the wider marginal one, 8-12 and 1-5, that's all you do, you work strictly 8-12 and 1-5. You're still doing your work, you're still giving them the time that you agreed by your oral contract but it ends at five, it ends at twelve, it starts at one and it ends at five. For example, we had where a lot of people were working overtime, our accounts department, our technical crew, they do call outs; none of that will be occurring. Everything will have to get done between 8-12 and 1-5. If it's not finished and five comes they will lock up shop and then they will continue the work on the nex!
t day. There will be a long delay. For those for example at cashier, when you come to pay make sure you reach there before six because they'll close at six. These cashiers will be locking up at six so the managers will have to come in and do some work if the rest of people want to come in. That's how that affects outside people.

Marian Ali:



Will the telecommunications service be cut off?

Christine Perriott:



Marian, all I can tell you is we reserve all our rights to take any further action to do what is necessary to protect and advance the rights of the employees at BTL. What the people need to understand out there is that this is a right that us workers have as members of a union. Workers have a right to be defended, they have a right to be listened to even your constitution tells you that you a right to join a union and voice your opinion and to be heard and they are taking that right. They are violating the ILO Constitution 87 and 98. They are violating our labor laws, they are violating our constitution right by being dictatorial, by intimidating, by victimizing especially because we don't want to accept twenty percent that they are shoving down our throats. They are telling you that because you don't to take it then this is what we are going to do to you. This is what they have started in our company.



Perriott told us what the union membership wants.

Christine Perriott:



What us workers want is to see the trust document. The Prime Minister is saying that the beneficiaries of the twenty percent, the sole beneficiaries are the BTL workers. The twenty percent are for the workers of BTL. Then we want the twenty percent, we want the 7.4 million shares. We want the voting rights that come natural with it and we want our directorship that they committed. They committed that we'll have the voting rights, that we'll have the twenty percent in our name, in our trust that we have and they don't want to use and we will also have a person to represent us whom we select. That's what we want, we want that they respect us, respect the union, respect our collective agreement, respect our right to join a union, respect our freedom of speech, respect our right to freedom of information. That's what we want, simple things, respect. The constitutional law says there is a mutual respect that everybody ought to give.

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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At this hour, employees of Belize Telecommunications Limited are at
the Belize National Teacher's Union headquarters off Coney Drive
planning their next move. Having already instituted "a work to rule"
against the company, members of the Belize Communications Workers
Union have promised to "go slow" starting next week Tuesday. Both
moves are in response to the failure of the Board of Directors to hand
over details of the trust arrangement with Sunshine Holdings and its
control of twenty percent of B.T.L.'s shares. When the industrial
action will end is uncertain, as the situation at the company grew
more tense today following the announcement that Service Manager Dale
Trujeque had been dismissed from his post by the company. According to
Trujeque, he joined the Belize Communication Workers Union on Tuesday,
but around ten this morning he was served with his walking papers.
This afternoon, Trujeque maintained that his firing is a slap in the
face of the unionists.

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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UNI has written to the Prime Minister of Belize in support of our affiliate, the Belize Communication Workers Union (BCWU) who needed our solidarity support after the recent actions by the company, Belize Telecommunications Ltd (BTL). The union also is looking for the 20% shares given to the workers to be managed by the union on behalf of the workers.

The letter from UNI General Secretary, Philip Jennings is printed below.

Honourable Said Musa
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
New Administration Building
Belmopan
BELIZE
Fax: +501 822 33 23

Nyon, 10 October 2005

Our Ref : CDM/tel/belize/pj

Dear Honourable Said Musa,

Union Network International (UNI) is a global union which represents over 15 million members in 900 unions in over 150 countries worldwide including over 2 million in the telecommunications industry.

We have been informed by our affiliate, the Belize Communication Workers Union (BCWU) about the current actions by the Government of Belize in respect to the sale of Belize Telecommunications Ltd (BTL) shares and the latest tactics by the Government and BTL which can only be seen as union busting.

We understand that BTL have engaged in a division of the union membership, as the BCWU doesn't wish to accept the dictatorial deal of the 20% shares. BTL are targeting the union executives and vocal members, using intimidating tactics, coercing members individually and victimising those that support the Union.

On October 6, BTL dismissed an employee because he chose to join the union, this therefore has violated not only the Collective Agreement but also the ILO conventions (87 and 98) which Belize Government have ratified.

We are also informed that the Belize Telecommunications Act has been amended to give the Minister and Government by extension of power to take over BTL to maintain the daily operation of the company.

We are deeply concerned that after offering 20% of shares to the workers, you will not allow the workers to decide how utilise these shares, especially refusing the workers, through their union to set up their own trust fund. If the workers own the shares, then they should have the right to decide on its management. The union is strategically positioned to ensure the workers interests are not forgotten, where as at the moment the closed door approach will look suspicious to the workers.

The BTL workers through its Union (BCWU) must be:

� Free to set up its own Trust Company;
� Free to negotiate with the Government in good faith on this matter of "economic �policy" that affects its members;
� Free to decide who represents them on the Board; and,
� Free to decide how its representative(s) on the Board should vote on Company matters.

We urge you to ensure that the ILO conventions are respected and that the dismissed employee is reinstated as a matter of urgency.

The collective agreement between BTL and BCWU is a binding agreement and under the Belize Labour Laws must also be respected by BTL and the Government.

I look forward to a positive response.

Yours sincerely,

Philip Jennings
General Secretary


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