BEL calls into question BEWJ’s severance claims

By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 1, 2026

   Some 150 former employees of Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), encouraged by the Caribbean Court of Justice November 2025 ruling in favor of former Belize Telemedia Ltd. workers (who had formed the Belize Communication Workers for Justice – BCWJ), have put forward their own severance claims, which they laid out at a press conference hosted by the Belize Energy Workers for Justice (BEWJ) at the Inspiration Center in Belize City on Tuesday afternoon, March 31.

   BEWJ’s Dorla Staine emphasized that severance and pension are distinctly separate benefits that are owed to retired or pensioned employees under the Labor Act, and they are now taking steps to collect what they believe they are legally owed, even though they did not promptly receive a substantive response when they submitted a formal request to the company on February 23 of this year. The company’s lawyers acknowledged receipt of that request on February 27, but stalled in its replies, offering to give a formal reply by April 20.

   Staine said, “BEL implemented arrangements where pension contributions were treated as being in lieu of severance without clear accounting or transparency.” The CCJ ruling clarified that severance and pension are separate statutory entitlements under Belize law and cannot be treated as interchangeable benefits.

   The company responded by way of a press release later on Tuesday, and noted in its release that BEL’s key value is “We Put People First”, and that the company has begun “a comprehensive review of BEL’s severance and pension arrangements to ensure that all claims are considered fairly and thoroughly”—a review that extends as far back as 1988, as some employees left the company more than 25 years ago. According to the release, that review confirmed that “BEL has paid severance to its employees on their departure as required under the law.”

   The release continued: “The CCJ judgement emphasized section 194 (1) of the Labor Act and highlights that an employee remains entitled to severance in addition to a pension unless the employer can clearly show that the pension scheme already accounts for severance benefits. Where the pension scheme accounts for severance, as in BEL’s case, the obligation is satisfied by payment of the pension benefits which account for severance.”

   “BEL has consistently met, and in most cases exceeded, the legal requirements for severance payments to employees, providing up to as much as 4 weeks’ wages for each year of service, compared to the legal requirement of one week for each year of service before 2011,” the release further pointed out.

   The statement goes on to say that the company will continue to review individual claims, carefully examining all relevant records to ensure full and fair consideration, and each employee will receive a formal response after each review is completed.

   The BEWJ contends that pension contributions cannot replace severance obligations, which must be paid in accordance with the Labor Act, and their situation raises broader concerns about workers’ rights and employment practices in Belize.