Senator Smith: “How Much More Can We Ask of Government Employees?

Elena Smith

In his weekly message on Monday, PM Briceño said that tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs or taking the ultimate risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.  He says he is now asking the unions to get “Belize Bounced Back Betta.” Senator Elena Smith responds:

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

“How much more can we ask of our government employees? Because as teachers and as public service officers we have been sacrificing all of our careers, not just right now during the pandemic. And even during the pandemic, we were still working. Yes we were being paid because we were working. And with the salaries that we received, we put that right back into the economy. So it is unfair for people to be saying that we have not sacrificed anything. We have already given up one increment. If you add what that is going to cost or be at the end of our career, you would see what one increment would cost us at the end of our career. So listen, don’t let that kind of talk or those words mislead the people with what it is that we are doing. Or people use those words to say that listen; we are being unfair or not trying to help. We have tried to help.”