Photo: Hon. Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
Talks continue with GoB about increments, pension
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Feb. 15, 2023
In a meeting held on Wednesday of this week, the Joint Unions Negotiating Team (JUNT) met with representatives of the Government of Belize to discuss issues such as pension reform, which the unions have so far opposed, and the delayed reinstatement of their increments—which they have demanded that GoB unfreeze to avert possible industrial action by public workers.
In attendance at the meeting, which took place at the Marion Jones Sports Complex and lasted for approximately 5 hours, were the president of the Public Service Union (PSU), Dean Flowers; the president of the Belize National Teacher’s Union (BNTU), Elena Smith; and Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser, who represented the unions; and three Cabinet ministers who attended the meeting on behalf of the government: Minister of Public Service, Hon. Henry Charles Usher; Minister of State for Finance, Hon. Christopher Coye; and Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Cordel Hyde.
After holding a press conference on Tuesday of last week to highlight the ways in which they believe the government has failed to meet its obligations to the unions, the Joint Unions entered the meeting with GoB with a particular focus on negotiating the reinstatement of the frozen increments that have been withheld from them for three years, since the economic fallout resulting from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
While a 10% deduction in the salaries of public workers in 2021 was brought to a halt last year after a certain degree of economic recovery was reported by GoB, there has been an extended delay in the unfreezing of increments, and the fact that government is engaging in additional spending in other areas (including a raise in the salaries of certain members of the judiciary) has further angered many public workers. PSU president Dean Flowers had thus indicated at the press conference held by the joint unions that they were expecting a reinstatement of the increments by April 1; otherwise, they would take necessary action.
Hon. Hyde was asked by local reporters about the April 1 ultimatum, and he responded by saying, “That’s not the spirit of conversation that we have. When we meet, we don’t deal with ultimatums; we don’t talk at each other, we talk to each other. And I think it was the usual atmosphere where we are able to engage.”
Flowers also acknowledged the respectful tone of the discussions between the unions and GoB reps, but did not indicate that there has been a change of plans regarding the April 1 deadline. “I want to commend the responses that we received. I want to commend the attitude that was displayed. I want to commend the humility that was displayed by the government side, because it shows that their approach this time around is not a dictatorial approach; because we’ve said it, we learned in 2021 we were dictated to. This time around, we are going to have a dialogue, and we are going to meet in the middle as best as possible before we move forward on these issues. We agreed that going forward we would have to agree on either continuing [to discuss] the issues with a view of agreeing, or if it is that we enter into some form of negotiations. One of the things that we will not allow is for another empty government commitment to be imposed on us. And I take you back to May 12, 2021, when the prime minister read those fifteen government commitments to the union, which they did not honor. We spoke about that today as well. And like I said, you live each day and you learn from your mistakes, and you learn from these experiences so that you are better prepared when you are confronted in these positions,” he said.
And while those discussions were taking place inside the conference room, services at many government offices and departments—including the Belize Tax Service, the Treasury and the Belize City Magistrate’s Court—were brought to a near halt due to an apparent sickout staged by a number of public workers who did not report for duty after ‘calling in sick’. Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, after noting that several legal proceedings had to be adjourned due to the absence of staff, told local reporters, “We do need the support staff. People tend to take them for granted, but they are the ones who ensure that all the processes, the clerical processes, are done, and without them, it is hard for any court to function. So I don’t take them for granted. They are not happy, and this is the way that they’ve shown that they are not happy. But as you see, I am here trying to negotiate to ensure that public officers get what they are asking for.”
Fraser also described the impact of the sickout on Wednesday: “Well, we had to adjourn matters. So, while the police were there, Magistrates had shown up … they addressed the persons who were there. My only concern would have been the detainees, because when I inquire, when I got there is that they had taken back those who were detained. I am on my way back to the Magistrate Court right now to see how I can address those who have been detained and would have been eligible for bail. I would at least have a conversation with the police to address those who at least can get police bail and then try to figure out how I can deal with those who would need the intervention of the court to get bail.”
When asked by local reporters to comment on the apparent expression of discontent by the workers who called in sick, Minister Henry Usher noted just how critical the role of public officers is, and that their absence on Wednesday had a considerable effect on the services delivered by the respective government departments.
“All of these are issues that we need to look at so that we can have a system that is efficient and as fair as possible. And I think that is the main issue. If you ask any public officer, they just want the system to be fair. They want to make sure what they are getting is what they deserve, and they have every right to express themselves how they want,” said Usher.