Nadia Martin-Caliz, National President, BNTU
Two of three unions accept GoB’s 3rd counterproposal; vote for BNTU outstanding
BELIZE CITY, Mon. June 30, 2025
On Thursday, June 26, the Government’s negotiating team presented to the Joint Unions Negotiating Team (JUNT) a third counterproposal to their demand of an 8.5% salary increase for public sector workers. It consisted of 4.5% being paid on October 1, 2025, and the remaining 4% being paid the following year on October 1, 2026. That’s up from the previous 4% being paid on October 1, 2025. Additionally, a first frozen increment would be restored on April 1, 2026, and the second on April 1, 2027. It would mean that the salary increase would be paid and the two increments restored in the course of just under two years, and does not come with any conditionality attached. The previous proposal featured payment over three years and the JUNT said the offer was tied to pension reform. This was outrightly rejected by the unions.
Hon. Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
The Government team formally presented the 3rd counterproposal to the JUNT at a meeting on June 26 which went on for 4 hours. At its conclusion, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde described the meeting as intense and very serious. He admitted that he never expected the negotiations to drag on for so long, but was hopeful that they were nearing the end. Asked about the reaction of the union leaders when they were presented with the latest proposal, Hyde responded, “They’ve been fair. I think we had a great discussion.” As to the result expected from the membership, Hyde remarked, “I’m hoping for good news. It’s been a rough six weeks. I don’t suffer these things too well, because I thought after our first meeting that we had a framework that could work. But obviously that didn’t work. We went back to the table several times and hopefully this is it. I’m praying for the best … Hopefully this is the proposal.”
The Prime Minister insisted on previous occasions that they were offering the unions what they can afford, and so the DPM was asked if the Government, with the latest proposal, is pushing beyond the margins of what it can afford. Hyde deflected the question and said they clearly spelled out to the unions the timelines of how Government will meet the payments over the next two years.
Dean Flowers, President, PSU
The union leaders likewise referred to the meeting as good-faith discussions featuring an improved proposal. Public Service Union President, Dean Flowers called it a good meeting. As to accepting the third counter proposal, he and Nadia Martin-Caliz, National President of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU), echoed the usual reminder that it’s the membership who will have the final say.
Confronted with the statement from some government officials that for the 8.5% salary increase to be granted, taxes would have to be raised, Martin-Caliz said, “Every single time we ask for an adjustment, they threaten us with taxes, so that’s a strategy that is neither here nor there for me.” She added that they asked around the table if the increase would result in new taxes, and said they were told that was not a part of the discussion at all. “That’s the reason why they are offering it to us 4.5 and 4, because they are looking at what they can afford at this time since they did not budget for it,” explained Martin-Caliz.
According to Martin-Caliz, the two sides agreed to discuss the restoration of the first increment frozen under the Barrow Administration as part of their negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Additionally, their good governance demands will also be discussed as part of the CBA framework at the same time that the joint committees on tax reform, cost savings and pension continue their work.
Voting by the union members was scheduled for the weekend, and the PSU’s membership voted by 75.68% to accept the government’s third counterproposal. The Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM) also voted to accept the proposal. The vote for the BNTU has not yet been completed as they have not met their voter threshold, and the report is that this is due to some teachers being out for their summer vacations. The PSU, in a statement to its members, acknowledged “the strong show of continued resolve by members who rejected the proposal” and said it remains “committed to industrial action, should the need arise.”
Notably, both Flowers and Martin-Caliz said their unions intended to participate in the solidarity march and rally organized by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) for Saturday, June 28. However, the event was postponed due to the flooding that impacted the north.
On a related note, DPM Hyde distanced himself from the political ad attacks against Flowers and stated, “I said to the folks that, you know, a lot has been said on both sides, but we don’t support that kind of stuff … We are about getting results, about talking constructively, about respecting each other … We don’t get into personality stuff … this country is too small.” For his part, Flowers said he had notified Public Services International, the international body for unions, about the personal attacks. He has also called on the NTUCB to follow up with a report to the Labour Advisory Board. Flowers informed that at last Thursday’s meeting, he told those on the other side of the table that the leadership needs to “grow the hell up” and put an end to the childish behaviour that takes them away from the principles under which their party was founded.