BELMOPAN, Belize – Government is to hold talks with trade union leaders later on Tuesday even as it maintains that the austerity measures are necessary to deal with the financial situation facing the country.
Trade union leaders lead the march against the government proposed cuts on MondayThe public servants and the teachers are at loggerheads with the new John Briceno government that announced plans to cut public officers’ salaries and increments, as well as other cuts to government purchasing in its first budget presentation. The budget was passed in the Senate last Thursday after having gotten the nod from the Upper House earlier.
The government has announced plans to freeze increments and slashing salaries by 10 per cent for three years.
“I can confirm that they are calling us back to the table and what I can confirm is in fact it is not the negotiation table – it may be now that we will be entering into negotiations because we never were in negotiations just to correct the term,” said Gerald Henry, President of the Public Service Union (PSU).
“We were always in consultation – at the consultation table – but hopefully we will be at the negotiation table. If we go now to the negotiation table then there is always hope because that is what negotiation is all about; consultation on the other hand will bring about the result you are going to see tomorrow where we go on strike because there is no effort on the part of the government to break the impasse that we currently have which requires negotiation.”
Henry said that the union is hoping that during the meeting on Tuesday, “we will be negotiating instead of just consulting”.
Henry said he is hoping that the indefinite strike does not go beyond Tuesday, adding “so we need to get this over with as quickly as we can because understand the damage causes to the economy as well.
“We are not irresponsible in our actions and we are not irresponsible in our considerations. So, we definitely want this impasse to end as quickly as possible,” he added.
But Minister for Human Development, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, said she firmly believes “that all of us must do our part in difficult circumstances.
“Many people don’t even have a job. And so, I want to repeat my call to the teachers, we all will feel a little bit of pain, but I want to repeat my call and to say to them that we are in this boat together and we want the boat to sail good. We don’t want the boat to go into the reef.
“We have made a decision that I believe is good for the country at this time. I don’t have to repeat for every Belizean the dire circumstances that we found the finances of our country in. but let me move away from that very harsh reality to say to you, members of the media, that cabinet and especially the colleagues that I want to really salute them.”
She said she also wanted to highlight “the fact that government has made multiple holding out of compensation packages to the teachers and the unions.”
On Monday, members of the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) and the PSU braved the sweltering heat to continue their protests against the government. The workers also marched around the National Assembly Building and the Sir Edney Cain Building which houses the Prime Minister’s office.
Henry said that as of Tuesday “members will officially be on strike.
“So, the intensity of these actions will certainly be increased. I can’t tell you exactly all that will be happening, but certainly there will be an increase to the intensity of our actions.”
