Belize officials and ILO identify needs for support and collaboration
Meetings coincided with first validation session for country’s new DWCP.
10 May 2024
Recent ILO Caribbean meetings in Belize from 6 to 8 May 2024 served as strategic opportunities to determine areas for support and collaboration towards the development of a new Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP).
The visit by the ILO delegation featured a series of courtesy calls and high level-engagements with tripartite constituents and other key national partners. It also provided an opportunity to introduce ILO Director Dr Joni Musabayana on his first official visit to Belize.
Key interactions included the Honourable Oscar Requeña, Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government; Valentino Shal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ministry; Rissela Dominguez-Patt, Labour Commissioner; Armando Chan, Member of the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) and other members of the LAB; Luke Martinez, National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB); Katherine Meighan, President of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI); Marcello Blake, Past President and Board Member of the BCCI; Kim Aikman, CEO of the BCCI; Deborah Ruiz, CEO of the Social Security Board; Diana Castillo-Trejo, Director-General of the Statistical Institute of Belize; Xavier Canton-Lamousse, Team Leader at the European Union in Belize; Julian Belgrave, Chief Operating Officer at the Inter-American Development Bank; Raul Salazar, UN Resident Coordinator; Hero Balani, Team Lead at the UN Resident Coordinator Office; and Alison Parker, UNICEF Representative.
While the Belizean economy stands out as resilient and well-managed, exhibiting robust GDP growth within the broader region, labour market challenges persist and were emphasized during meetings with tripartite partners.
Among main topics for discussion with Government officials were Belize’s ongoing process to reform its most comprehensive labour law – the Labour Act; development of a national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill; and the ratification of ILO Conventions in the context of formulating the new DWCP. Labour administration and social dialogue were also raised as areas requiring technical assistance.
With the unionization rate in Belize at approximately 2 per cent, meetings with the NTUCB addressed opportunities for increasing and strengthening the national trade union movement. Other key areas of concern raised on behalf of workers were labour legislation reform and the rights of contract workers.
From the perspective of employers, the BCCI highlighted that ILO support and cooperation were needed on the issue of legislative reform review; the assessment and impact of the Minimum Wage and its formula; as well as skills mismatches in the green, blue and orange economies.
The mission also coincided with Belize’s first stakeholder validation session of its next DWCP which will be delivered from 2024 to 2029. The session took place on 8 May 2024 and gathered inputs from tripartite constituents in order to finalize strategic priorities.
The new DWCP will introduce new framework that will develop and implement targeted solutions to three labour market issues: (i) rights and governance; (ii) inclusive labour markets; and (iii) productivity, sustainable enterprises and local economic development.
The Programme will be the second of its kind for Belize and follows its first DWCP which was implemented from 2009 to 2015.
“The ILO is grateful to our tripartite constituents for their invaluable role in shaping this new DWCP to reflect the country’s current and future labour market issues. We look forward to continuing our strong cooperation with the Government, employers and trade unions to support the successful implementation of the Programme over the next five years,” said Dr Musabayana.