NTUCB Mobilizes Members Over AG’s FOIA Appeal

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has begun mobilizing its affiliates in response to the Attorney General Ministry’s appeal of the Ombudsman’s decision on a Freedom of Information request; the move signals a hardening stance by the country’s leading labor body on governance issues.

A ranking member of the NTUCB confirmed that the Congress convened an emergency meeting on Sunday, where member unions were instructed to canvass their memberships for mandates on possible action. The directive follows growing unease within the organization over what it views as repeated challenges to transparency and accountability in public affairs.

The source explained that the NTUCB will no longer issue further statements or press releases on the matter, describing that stage as past. Instead, the organization is preparing to act based on the positions taken by individual unions once their internal consultations are completed.

According to the NTUCB official, the Attorney General’s decision to appeal the Ombudsman’s ruling was “the final straw” that prompted the meeting. The appeal challenges an order requiring the disclosure of payments made by the government to private law firms, which the Ombudsman had directed under the Freedom of Information Act.

The appeal, filed on October 28 in the High Court, seeks to overturn the directive on grounds of legal error. Civil society groups have questioned the filing’s timing, noting that it appears to bypass the next procedural step under Section 38 of the FOIA, which calls for ministerial review before judicial appeal.

Member unions are expected to finalize their internal positions in the coming days, after which the Congress will determine its collective course of action.