Belize Workers Protest for a ‘Living Wage’

On Saturday morning, the Belize Leaders for Social Justice, BLSJ, organized a public protest demanding that the government raise the minimum wage.

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On Saturday morning, the Belize Leaders for Social Justice, BLSJ, organized a public protest demanding that the government raise the minimum wage.

The advocacy group, supported by the Belize Progressive Party, Belize Territorial Volunteers and Days of Healing Committee, started the march at Constitution Park on Cemetery Road, according to Breaking Belize News. Demonstrators marched through several main streets and thoroughfares before ending at Battlefield Park.

Currently, Belizeans receive a minimum wage of $3.30 Belizean dollars (roughly US$1.65) per hour, resulting in a monthly minimum wage of about US$321 dollars. The amount, comparable to Guatemala's minimum wage, falls well short of meeting people’s basic needs.

A group of protesters held a sign that read: “Working families deserve a living wage.”

Moses Sulph, a BLSJ member, pointed out that with the increased cost of living, people require a minimum wage increase.

“People want change, but they think it’s going to happen at the stroke of a pen,” Sulph explained. 

“They need to realize that it’s by uniting and showing the government that they want these things that will make the difference.”

Sulph stressed that protests alone wouldn't convince the government to meet the peoples' demands. However, he reiterated that in order for Belizeans to earn a decent, living wage they'd have to earn US$6.00 an hour.