Shaeleen Castillo
As we told you, there is escalating anger against the CIBC FirstCaribbean. Late this evening, Manager of Retail Banking and Operations, Shaeleen Castillo responded to the allegations being made at the Dangriga Branch. While Castillo declined to comment on the employment status of Uwanhie Martinez, the statement followed a meeting that was held in Dangriga this afternoon with Mayor Gilbert Swazo, as well as other members of the Garifuna community.
Shaeleen Castillo, Operations Manager, CIBC FirstCaribbean
“We are anxious to bring this matter to a very speedy resolution. We want to highlight and to repeat and to make it clear that we don’t discriminate against any person based on race, heritage, sex and in fact we have a policy in the bank that prohibits any form of discrimination. We have the utmost respect for the Garifuna people and we have been active in the community for many years. There has never been any intention by the bank to disregard or disrespect the cultural heritage or the traditions of the Garifuna community. We have been in Belize since 1949. We were the first bank to extend to the districts and we started off with Dangriga and we started there in 1953. And so we are also proud to highlight that our staff base, it comprises people of all ethnicities including the Garifuna people and at least ten percent of our staff comprises of Garifuna employees. We at CIBC FirstCaribbean embrace all ethnicities and cultures within the communities in which we operate. Never has there been any attempt on our part to stifle the use of any native language of our employees. And so we confirm that we CIBC FirstCaribbean, our staff, our management; we did not issue any written directive to the staff regarding not using Garifuna in the branch and there is no policy within CIBC FirstCaribbean prohibiting the use of Garifuna or any other native language within the bank. Our employees are free to use whatever language they are comfortable with in their private conversations. So you know, FirstCaribbean, we operate across the Caribbean and in the territories in which we operate, there are other native languages that are used and staff are free to use those languages. We encourage diversity in all its forms and within all sectors of our community especially within the Garifuna community….you know the culture is rich and we have supported that in so many ways. We have contributed to the National Garifuna Council; we have contributed to the Gulisi Museum. Our renowned Unsung Heroes Program, we’ve had two persons of Garifuna heritage who have been finalists and even when there are Settlement Day activities, the bank has given full support to staff to participate in those activities. We have participated in the Settlement Day parade; we have brought in the drummers and the dancers in the branch; we’ve showcased the culture in terms of the food and even the dress. I recall fondly one year where the staff across all ethnicities wore their cultural outfits. So we are very much in support of the culture. In terms of any HR or Industrial Relations matters, we are not at liberty to discuss those and those would be pursued through other channels according to the laws of Belize. I was in Dangriga today and I had privilege to meet with Mayor Suazo and we are hoping then that through his leadership, we will be able to have further communication with the Garifuna community and so bring a smooth and fast resolution to this matter. So again we just want to extend apologies for any misunderstanding and we are in full support of diversity and in full support of our Garifuna culture here in Belize.”
It is expected that the matter will be fully resolved in the days ahead.
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