B.N.T.U. Says Administration Has Yet to Consult with Them about National Budget

Elena Smith

The Briceño Administration has begun budget consultation ahead of his first budget presented, which is expected to be in March. The government has formed two teams to carry out budget consultation with relevant stakeholders. Minister of Education Francis Fonseca, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, Public Service Minister Henry Charles are accompanied by a technical and tasked with meeting with the Public Service Union and the Belize National Teachers Union to discuss the way forward. Prime Minister John Briceño and Minister Christopher Coye will be meeting with the private sector and social partners to also discuss the fiscal imbalance. The government continues to borrow about a million dollars a day to meet salaries, and Briceño had stated several times that the PUP is not a government of retrenchment. The Briceño administration has yet to meet with the teachers union, and National President Elena Smith says she hopes the meeting occurs sooner rather than later.

Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U.

 “We hope that that meeting is going to come by quickly because we are already in February. March is budget time and so this is the period they should be preparing and so we want to ensure that before we get to that point that there is that discussion between at least the three unions who negotiate with the government and we are hoping that we would be able to get that invitation very soon that we can start that discussion.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Our economy is still in a bad state. Prime Minister Briceno said that we want to avoid retrenchment. They are not a party or government of retrenchment but they are still borrowing I think a little less than a million dollars to meet salaries and day to day operational expenses. Are teachers prepared to take a salary cut?”

Elena Smith

“You know that is a difficult question to answer at this time. We do understand the country’s situation but we also understand and we also recognize that due to the situation of the pandemic a lot our teachers’ spouses have lost jobs and so they have gone to having two incomes in a household to only having one. It is going to be very difficult if it is that we are now going to be looking at reduction of salary. It is going to have a bigger impact on those teachers and public officers. So those are things that we will have to look at in terms of what we finally agree to and how it is that we would work on compensation for that down the road. It has to be a situation where if we are going to sacrifice then we will all sacrifice together.”