ILO hosts strategic planning meetings with the National Trade Union Congress of Belize to strengthen worker social protection and participation in economic growth
The main results are centred on poverty reduction and economic growth.
13 June 2023
Improving the ability of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) to adapt to address evolving labour market issues and meet the needs of workers was the focus of an International Labour Organization (ILO)-led strategic planning workshop held on Tuesday 13 June 2023 in Belize City.
The capacity building opportunity was a main activity of a mission to Belize led by Vera Guseva, ILO Caribbean Specialist for Workers’ Activities, with support from Pamela Ann Bradley, ILO National Project Coordinator in Belize. The training was preceded by a consultation between the ILO team and the NTUCB Secretariat on 12th June 2023.
Both events were designed to contribute to the NTUCB capacity to participate in the Joint SDG Fund Programme: Building a resilient Belize through universal, adaptive, and sustainable social protection. The 24-month initiative seeks to achieve a stronger, coordinated, integrated, shock-responsive, and resilient social protection system for the country that reaches the most vulnerable, including women and children.
“As one of the Programme’s implementing agencies, the ILO is providing technical support to partners in Belize to support their contribution. Trade unions are included in the Programme due to their invaluable role as defenders of human rights and social justice,” said Vera Guseva.
The main results are centred on poverty reduction and economic growth. Both outcomes are interrelated and articulated as priorities in the Government’s Medium-Term Development Strategy 2022 – 2026 that can be achieved through job creation and decent work. The ILO-led training will enhance the role of the NTUCB in promoting and protecting worker participation in key areas such as value chain development.
During the workshop, Phillip Tate, General Secretary of the NTUCB highlighted the significance of supporting the country’s trade union movement. “It is important to keep unionism alive and by extension some form of social justice and protection for all workers in Belize. Also, to keep our democracy alive now and in the future,” he said.
Leonora Flowers, President of the Christian Workers’ Union, also attended the training and emphasized its value for trade unions. “A strategic plan is essential for the NTUCB as it provides a clear roadmap and direction for achieving its goals and objectives. It enables effective resource allocation, coordination, and decision-making, ensuring that the Congress remains focused and aligned with its mission while adapting to internal and external changes.”
Luke Martinez, President of the NTUCB, underscored the vital role of unions in contributing to the socio-economic wellbeing of Belize. “The NTUCB is the bedrock of the labour movement, which comprises of 12 affiliated unions, membership in two affiliated associations, one related organization membership, a seat in the Senate, representation on 23 governmental entities and a growing network of partners and labour stakeholders. We maintain our collective vision of being a respected, proactive, financially independent organization offering effective leadership and a diverse range of services for the trade unions of Belize, as well as positively influencing harmonious industrial relations to contribute to socio-economic stability and overall sustainable development. It is as a consideration for these given circumstances, that we now collectively establish our 2023 – 2028 Strategic Plan, which seeks to attain equitable socio-economic advancement for labourers through collective effort and the democratic process,” he said.
The ILO is proud to partner with our sister agencies United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme to implement the Joint SDG Fund Programme: Building a resilient Belize through universal, adaptive, and sustainable social protection. More information is available at: https://jointsdgfund.org/programme/resilient-belize
The capacity building opportunity was a main activity of a mission to Belize led by Vera Guseva, ILO Caribbean Specialist for Workers’ Activities, with support from Pamela Ann Bradley, ILO National Project Coordinator in Belize. The training was preceded by a consultation between the ILO team and the NTUCB Secretariat on 12th June 2023.
Both events were designed to contribute to the NTUCB capacity to participate in the Joint SDG Fund Programme: Building a resilient Belize through universal, adaptive, and sustainable social protection. The 24-month initiative seeks to achieve a stronger, coordinated, integrated, shock-responsive, and resilient social protection system for the country that reaches the most vulnerable, including women and children.
“As one of the Programme’s implementing agencies, the ILO is providing technical support to partners in Belize to support their contribution. Trade unions are included in the Programme due to their invaluable role as defenders of human rights and social justice,” said Vera Guseva.
The main results are centred on poverty reduction and economic growth. Both outcomes are interrelated and articulated as priorities in the Government’s Medium-Term Development Strategy 2022 – 2026 that can be achieved through job creation and decent work. The ILO-led training will enhance the role of the NTUCB in promoting and protecting worker participation in key areas such as value chain development.
During the workshop, Phillip Tate, General Secretary of the NTUCB highlighted the significance of supporting the country’s trade union movement. “It is important to keep unionism alive and by extension some form of social justice and protection for all workers in Belize. Also, to keep our democracy alive now and in the future,” he said.
Leonora Flowers, President of the Christian Workers’ Union, also attended the training and emphasized its value for trade unions. “A strategic plan is essential for the NTUCB as it provides a clear roadmap and direction for achieving its goals and objectives. It enables effective resource allocation, coordination, and decision-making, ensuring that the Congress remains focused and aligned with its mission while adapting to internal and external changes.”
Luke Martinez, President of the NTUCB, underscored the vital role of unions in contributing to the socio-economic wellbeing of Belize. “The NTUCB is the bedrock of the labour movement, which comprises of 12 affiliated unions, membership in two affiliated associations, one related organization membership, a seat in the Senate, representation on 23 governmental entities and a growing network of partners and labour stakeholders. We maintain our collective vision of being a respected, proactive, financially independent organization offering effective leadership and a diverse range of services for the trade unions of Belize, as well as positively influencing harmonious industrial relations to contribute to socio-economic stability and overall sustainable development. It is as a consideration for these given circumstances, that we now collectively establish our 2023 – 2028 Strategic Plan, which seeks to attain equitable socio-economic advancement for labourers through collective effort and the democratic process,” he said.
The ILO is proud to partner with our sister agencies United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme to implement the Joint SDG Fund Programme: Building a resilient Belize through universal, adaptive, and sustainable social protection. More information is available at: https://jointsdgfund.org/programme/resilient-belize