Amandala was told that the BPA is working the seamen more than the regular 39.5 hours a week, and not paying them for the extra hours, which is not what their union, the Christian Workers? Union, agreed to.

It is alleged that at times, most of the employees are working extra hours on normal days, and also on Public and Bank holidays, for which they have not yet received any payment for the overtime.

A main sticking point for the workers is that they are ordered to perform duties for which they were never hired, which is to say, they are assigned to duties very different from their normally assigned duties.

For small salaries, we were told, seamen are working day jobs, and working sometimes as night guards when they should be off from work, doing security for the main office, radio operators and harbor patrols.

?Mr. Lloyd Jones, commissioner at the BPA, doesn?t think that we should be paid for those long extra hours, it seems,? said another disgruntled employee.

Seamen punish, we are told, because BPA does not provide rations for those who go out on the long distance patrols for about 3 days, and the seamen do not have money to buy supplies for themselves.

The workers are protesting that the security posts are placed on redundancy so that the bosses at BPA can provide their friends, who are retired and receiving pension from the Belize Defense Force, with an opportunity to come to the port to make an extra salary, along with their pensions.

?We have spoken to Mr. Antonio Gonzalez, who is the president of the Christian Workers? Union, about our concerns,? said a worker.

Today, Amandala spoke with Gonzalez, who acknowledged complaints from the workers of the BPA, which included non-payment of overtime and the arbitrary changing of employment posts.

Gonzalez said, ?Today, we sent a letter to the BPA, requesting a meeting for next week Monday, November 29, with Mr. Gilbert Swazo, Operations Manager at the Port.?

At press time, Amandala was unable to contact Lloyd Jones.