Opposition gives conditional support to the OSH Bill

And while the UDP was not in the house to express their views on the Occupational Safety and Health Bill, today they have indicated conditional support for the piece of legislation.  Senator Gabriel Zetina today clarified that while the party missed the initial debate, it agrees with the overall objective of strengthening workplace protections and modernizing safety standards across Belize.  Zetina explained that the party’s position is not opposition to worker safety but rather ensuring that the legislation is practical and properly structured, noting that earlier versions of the bill had faced objections during the previous UDP administration.  Senator Zetina also outlined several reservations the party continues to have, including the scope of inspector powers, the potential cost burden on businesses, and the need for clearer accompanying regulations.

Gabriel Zetina, UDP Senator: “The reason this legislation did not advance earlier was because the earlier draft contained elements that stakeholders and including the business community and the workforce identified as being difficult to implement and at some point costly and quite unclear, particularly with small businesses. And you know in Belize, most of the businesses are made up of small businesses. And so those concerns were to be addressed. And we wanted to ensure that it was practical to enforce, economically sustainable and during the United Democratic Party Administration this approach was therefore paused. We took on consultation and continued the discussion to ensure that the occupational safety and health framework would be balanced, workable and enforceable while still maximizing the protection of the workforce of the Belizean people. That commitment to consult and refine, acting in the best interest of both, contributed to delays. But it was done responsibly and in an act of good faith. Today the UDP parliamentarian caucus is of the view that advancing the amendment bill is a step in the right direction and so for the avoidance of any doubt we categorically state on record that we support the bill in principle.”

The OSH Bill has completed all three required House readings and was passed there, it now proceeds to the Senate stage for its own debate and approval process before it can become law.