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Workers Struggles: The Americas
Latin America
Workers in Nicaraguan free trade zone factory strike over firings, company/union severance agreement
Over 1,200 workers at the New Holland Apparel textile plant in Nicaragua struck May 7 following a meeting between union and company representatives in which the firm refused a proposal to pay three months of wages when the plant closes on May 28. Instead, management offered, and the union accepted, a one-time payment of 700 Córdobas, equal to a little less than US$20, an amount called a “joke” by workers. Some 800 workers have signed a petition opposing the agreement “because our rights are violated, and an agreement was made with which we are not in accord.”
May 4, 2021
P.S.U. Kicks of Strike with Service and March through Belize City
If you went to any government offices today and wondered where the staff was, well they were very likely on the streets of Belize City. News Five followed the Public Service Union members from their opening church service to their march on Belize City.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Today marks the first day of strike action for the Public Service Union of Belize. The day began with a church service at the King’s Park Nazarene church. After service, the P.S.U., Belize National Teachers Union, the Nurses Association of Belize, and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers went on a march through the streets of Belize City. President of the PSU, Gerald Henry told News Five that he was thrilled with the turnout of PSU members, which he estimated to be hundreds, from communities across the country.
Apr 29, 2021
Joint Unions Plot Way Forward After Senate Passes Budget
The Joint Unions Negotiating Team met this afternoon in an extended virtual session, following the passage of the 2021 Budget in the upper house on Wednesday. The way forward for the Belize National Teachers Union, the Association of Public Service Senior Managers and the Public Service Union is uncertain. Wednesday’s vote in the Senate has all but sealed the deal on the ten percent wage cut and increment freeze that teachers and public officers will receive for the next three years. The unions are fighting tooth and nail to prevent the implementation of the salary adjustment and have proceeded with industrial action against the Government of Belize. The effort, nonetheless, has been met with mixed reaction from the public, as the issue remains divisive topic amid the ongoing economic hardship the country is faced with. News Five attempted on several occasions this evening to get a word from