The Labour (Amendment) Bill 2020 (“The Amendment”) is a recent amendment to the labour laws of Belize that seeks to codify the practice of Employers renegotiating gross weekly wages as well as to introduce provisions for furloughs into Belize’s legal framework.

The Amendment limits employers’ ability to invoke either of the provisions by making it subject to whether or not the Government has enacted a State of Public Emergency “under section 18 of the Belize Constitution” or due to “measures taken under any other law to protect public health and public safety.”

Additionally, for both wage adjustments and furloughs, the law calls for there to be “agreement” between Employers and Employees. Regarding furloughs, the Amendment also calls for the economic impact to be considered. It reads: “An employer may, with the agreement of an employee, place that employee on leave without pay if the economic conditions of the employer have been affected as a result of (a) the declaration of a State of Public Emergency under section 18 of the Belize Constitution; or (b) measures taken under any other law to protect public health and public safety.”

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