_{Photo posted by the BNTU on its Facebook page the day of it’s vote, Wednesday, April 30, 2025}

Masse national demonstration on Friday, May 9

BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 5, 2025

While Parliament holds its long overdue inaugural joint sitting in open air at the Sir Edney Cain building in Belmopan on Friday, May 9th, teachers will also gather en masse in the capital to protest in a bid to get government to meet five demands, chief among them an 8.5% salary increase. The date for the demonstration was set by the Council of Management of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) on Saturday, May 3, during a meeting to consider the results of the vote taken by teachers at simultaneous branch meetings on Wednesday, April 30. National union president, Nadia Martin-Caliz, in a letter to membership on the evening of the vote, reported that over 2,500 members voted for a demonstration in the first phase. If the Union’s five demands are not met, the mandate of the membership is for action to be escalated to a two-day national shutdown. From there, they will ramp things up to a full-blown strike in phase three.

_{BNTU t-shirt with their latest slogan}

The BNTU has also declared this entire week as “Wear Green Week.” For Monday and Friday, members are being asked to wear their latest signature green t-shirts. Their slogan this time is, “Value teachers; we matter.” For Tuesday to Thursday they are asked to wear any green BNTU shirt. On Friday, the Union is also urging the public to show its support by wearing green.

The other demands of the Union include an increase in the minimum wage to $6.00, and an increase in the transfer grant from $1,200 to $1,500. The other demands are that union members receive negotiated benefits first, and an urgent response to the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) framework that was submitted in November 2024.

On the day the teachers were voting on potential industrial action, the Ministry of Education made multiple posts on its Facebook page about the actions taken and progress made in recent months to “reduce delays, cut red tape, and ensure our teachers can focus on what matters most—teaching and learning.” The Ministry also stated, “We’re creating a system that works for educators, not against them.” One accompanying infographic notes that the Ministry will activate a digitized form for allowances and increments in July this year. The Ministry also further announced that it completed appointments of 1,300 primary and secondary school teachers, and all appointments for secondary administrators and 50% for primary school administrators. It added that, to resolve issues about teachers’ salaries and benefits, the Ministry has approved the hiring of additional staff to process the paperwork.

_{Image from video advertisement produced Sunday, May 4, by the BNTU}

Addressing the upcoming action on Friday, new Minister of Education, Hon. Oscar Requeña said he was aware of the teachers’ demands, and added, “We understand and respect that it’s their right to be able to voice their concerns. Obviously, the membership voted. Certainly, for us, we can understand and appreciate the concerns that they have.” He acknowledged that the government has a duty to sit with and dialogue with the Union, and also expressed certainty that “Cabinet will advise on a plan forward.”

In response to the question of whether he would attempt to get the Union to the table before the demonstration, the Minister said, “absolutely,” and remarked that they have had a “cordial and respectful relationship with the Union.” He added, though, that “in as much as the teachers have their demands, as a country, we also have certain challenges.” As such, he says they need to try to work things out with the teachers, while keeping in mind “the challenges and constraints that government has …” In regard to the Government’s ability to meet the salary increase demand of the teachers, he insisted that it is a matter for Cabinet to decide.

Requeña also clarified their follow-up memo to the BNTU about the non-school day last Wednesday, for which the Ministry had not granted approval. He shared that they are not “quarreling or fighting with the BNTU,” and therefore, the follow-up memo was an attempt to say, “We understand the situation. Please ensure that you have students well taken care of at school, that they are engaged in tasks, and that when you are finished you go back to your classroom. And, again, reminding you that, for future reference, just adhere to the timeframe.”

Minister of the Public Service, Hon. Henry Usher expressed a stance similar to that of Minister Requeña. He said he understands where the Union is coming from, and knows it is not out of spite or bad faith. At the same time, he says the Union also understands that “not all of their requests will get a favourable response, because we just can’t do everything that they are asking.” He then called for dialogue to continue so the issues “can be solved around the table rather than on the street.”

Call time for the BNTU national demonstration in Belmopan on Friday is 7:30 a.m.