Unions to soon conclude negotiations with G.O.B.

Teachers and public officers marched to Independence Hill late last month in a show of force. They demanded respect from the government and a salary adjustment that has been on the negotiating table for years. There was a follow-up meeting with the Prime Minister in Belmopan and then the government proposal was taken to all union branches. The consultations with membership drew mixed reaction because the teachers and public officers want specifics. Membership has come up with three main recommendations. Firstly, they are requesting a minimum assured quantum; secondly, they want to see savings that can be accrued from wastage to go to their adjustments and thirdly, they want a tightening up in the collection of government revenues which should also go towards salary adjustments. This morning the union leaders spoke of a deadline by which the negotiations with government are to conclude.   Marvin Blades, President, Public Service Union “Well we did look at a timeline, the original timeline was; went a little while past, maybe a week or so ago, however, we believe it was paramount to get all input from all our membership because we didn’t want anybody to be left out. Now we are saying that our counter proposal should be ready hopefully by the end of the month and then also that, we had also agreed that, before meeting with the prime minister and with the official side, that we would want the negotiations, the entire negotiations, including all twenty-three proposals to be over within the first quarter which would be by April. Because it has dragged on for too long; by now we should have been on the second CB; and so we had agreed that we would try to get it done on or by April first.”   Dylan Reneau, President, N.T.U.C.B. “The salary adjustment, I am fairly confident that it can be because what we are going to take back in the counter proposal, some things that may not necessarily be agreeable but they are back up, they are things that we can negotiate and I think looking at the sentiment of the Prime Minister from the last meeting, as my union brothers had said, he wants to get this thing done and I think he has, in a sense agreed that this thing has dragged on too long. So I am fairly confident that it will.”