P.S.U. President Says Corrupt System Exist in Public Service

The President of the P.S.U., Gerald Henry says that a corrupt system exists in the public service. A letter has been drafted by the Joint Union Committee, namely the Public Service Union of Belize, Belize National Teachers’ Union, and Association Public Service Senior Managers requesting a meeting with the leaders of political parties including Patrick Faber and John Briceño. According to Henry, the objective of this meeting is to discuss several pressing issues that require urgent attention before the November 2020 General Election. These issues include economic recovery and growth, national security, and the primary concern is the public wage bill. The P.S.U. fears that whichever party forms the next government, will attempt to reduce the wage bill and this will affect public officers.  Henry is calling on P.S.U. members to stand united and demand that the next government minimizes wastage in government first.

Voice of: Gerald Henry, President, P.S.U.

“While the union agrees that the wage bill is high and may very well be unsustainable our position has been that and remains that before any government takes away any of our jobs they must ensure that wastage in other areas is minimized. One clear example of this is the purchase of brand new top of the line fully load vehicles for all the members of cabinet, all the chief executive officers, heads of departments, not to mention some of their cronies. One brand new land cruiser cost over two hundred thousand Belize dollars. The starting salary for a second class clerk is just under thirty thousand dollars and for a first class clerk it is just under seventeen thousand dollars. This means that a least sixteen second class clerks or a little less than one thousand first class clerk are sacrificed just to buy one of these high end vehicles. Another major expense to government is the many contract officers most of whom do little or nothing and some who are in the offices to facilitate personal attacks on true public officers by some heads of departments. We have competent, experience certified public officers. Sometimes more than the head of the departments, who can perform the function of these contract officers, but are not given an opportunity to do so because of the corrupt system that currently exist in the public service.”