UB Staffers Request Salary Adjustment

Patrick Faber

And from politics to Faber’s official position as Minister of Education. News Five has confirmed that following on the heels of a protest by K.H.M.H. employees just over a week ago, UB faculty and staff have sent in a request for an adjustment of salaries. The K.H.M.H. demand is still under discussion with a view to finding a way to making it happen, and Faber says that G.O.B. would not disregard the request from UB staffers. Good news maybe, but not just yet. Faber says that just like public officers and teachers had to go through a long process for a salary adjustment, this process would not be different.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“I have not been able to see the communication you are talking about where they have written to the Ministry of Education. It is not really a Ministry of Education issue – this is a financial implication and you’ll notice that every aspect of the issues coming up with education is handled by the Ministry of Education – that pertains to education except the finances, salaries and so on because it is simply not in our power. But I think that the faculty and staff at the University have a right to make the claim for adjusting their salaries if that is the case. Everybody else is making that claim – the hospital, we expect it from B.A.H.A. as well to do the same, but what we want to make sure people understand is that the Public Service and the teachers did not get that adjustment just form out of the sky. In fact it is through negotiation. It is through a formula that was agreed upon in that negotiation in that increased revenues would be adhered with the teachers and the public servants, so it is not just demand and you’ll be given. In fact, when it relates to the teachers and public servants getting that raise, there are some things that they have to do in order to produce that additional revenue so that the raise can be given. The same must be said for the staff of the K.H.M.H.  The same must be said for the staff at the University of Belize if this is the claim that they are going to make. We’ll have to sit down. We will have to look at what monies now flow into the University or the hospital. We need to look at how we can better make use of the resources there. We need to look at creating efficiencies in terms of the finances and we need to see whether or not the government’s injection into these entities is adequate given what the government asks of them in terms of our policy. So that is our position and I am not opposed to engaging the University faculty and staff on that issue. But I’ll ask them to come with that kind of mindframe…that it can’t be oh the Public Servants get wah raise so we want a raise too. That did not come on its own.”