UDP Rejects Claims It Delayed Occupational Safety and Health Bill

The Opposition United Democratic Party is clapping back at the Government, insisting that it is not responsible for delays in advancing the Occupational Safety and Health Bill through the Senate.  The proposed law is intended to strengthen workplace safety standards across Belize and improve protections for workers in both the public and private sectors. However, the bill has also generated political debate, particularly surrounding concerns from businesses over enforcement measures, compliance requirements, and the potential economic impact of stricter regulations. At a press conference held this morning at UDP headquarters, Party Chairperson Sheena Pitts rejected suggestions that the opposition is deliberately stalling the legislation. Pitts argued instead that the Government itself was not fully prepared to address unresolved concerns surrounding the bill before attempting to move it forward.  Pitts also maintained that the UDP supports stronger workplace protections for Belizean workers but believes the legislation must be carefully reviewed to ensure that it is practical, enforceable, and fair to both employees and employers.

Sheena Pitts, UDP Chairman: “When they say the Senate is stalling the bill, I can tell you and I speak for all senators and the president of the Senate we are not stalling the bill. They are not prepared to address the myriad of issues all senators raised up. You know one of the major issue? We signed on to the convention for the elimination of discrimination against women. We have the ILO, is it 55 or 87 that says we are to promote women. You know what the OSH says? Domestic workers are not covered under the OSH Bill protection. You know who domestic workers are? Women. And so most of the members of the Senate, I won’t say all because we be careful, they want to know how is it that you can legislate to exclude an entire population of society from a bill? And there are certain other concerns. Honorable Faber said this bill is heavy with executive and ministerial influence and control. They say no, no, no, no, it’s even but we saw it in real life when the CEO, the Labor Commissioner and everybody else sat in front of of us and tell us we can’t answer you because the minister is out.  They went to waste their time and they went to waste our time. You know what they said next? We will come back for a second session to address your concerns and the email you refer is what they sent to us to say, don’t expect another meeting, you’re not getting that. They’re not coming back based on the debate we’ve had and the exchange we had in committee they are going to write back. Who is stalling the bill? Not the Senate, not the UDP. It is the very persons who should be pushing it who can’t answer because they don’t understand the very bill.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Bill was first introduced for its first reading in Belize’s House of Representatives in January 2014. However, after that initial introduction, the bill did not advance to a second reading and instead went into a lengthy consultation process.  More than eleven years later, the updated Occupational Safety and Health Bill, 2025, was formally reintroduced in the House of Representatives on June 27, 2025./