BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 28, 2021– The Public Service Union has issued a release announcing a boycott of some media houses which the union says have aired paid political ads allegedly created to forward a smear campaign against the leadership of the Joint Unions Negotiating Team.

On Monday, the president of the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU), while being questioned by local reporters, had indicated that they would be boycotting any media house which chooses to continue to broadcast what the unions are calling misinformation to the public on the issues of contention between the Government and the Union.

The unions are claiming that the Briceño administration is attempting to politicize this issue of national importance that is being championed by the unions and as a result is engaged in outright union-busting.

“This is the lowest any government has gone in an attempt to union-bust; it also creates an atmosphere of very poor industrial relations. It must also be said that this sets a very bad example for other employers and employees’ relationship. More appalling is the fact that at the expense of the People of Belize,” the PSU’s release stated.

The PSU made reference in its release to several media houses in Belize which, according to the union, are displaying poor judgment by the airing of these ads, and the release calls on all media houses to stop the airing of those ads, which it alleges are “state-sponsored political ads”. According to the PSU, the ads “encourage hatred, division and are outright and vile attacks against trade unionists.”

“The PSU believes that media houses have a duty and a responsibility to fact-check these anti-union political ads and to refrain from broadcasting political ads which promotes hatred and misinformation to the general public,” stated the release.

The release adds, “The PSU, therefore, calls on those media houses with whom the Unions enjoy a good relationship, mutual respect and cooperation, to kindly ensure that the contents of political ads, and especially those against the Unions, reflect truth, decency and high moral and ethical standards to aid in the public discourse on the subjects of good governance and the proposed salary cut.”

The unions are thus issuing a notice of a boycott to media houses who choose to continue to air the political ads.

“The PSU serves notice that the Union will not offer comment, engage in any interviews, or make appearances on any shows with any media house that does or continues to do a disservice to the Belizean public by airing paid political ads which are aimed to deceive and misinform the Belizean public on issues of national importance and which fosters the promotion of national disunity, union-busting , and anti-union hate messages,” the release stated.

The BNTU has not yet issued an official position on the matter.