G.O.B. Holds Budget Consultation with N.T.U.C.B.

Government ministers met with the National Trade Union Congress of Belize as part of its budget consultations. The discussions were led by Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, accompanied by Education Minister Francis Fonseca, and Minister of the Public Service Henry Charles Usher. President Luke Martinez and members Ella Waight, Garry Yearwood, Timothy Dami, and Hubert Enriquez represented the N.T.U.C.B.  G.O.B. says that the meetings with the B.N.T.U., A.P.S.S.M., and N.T.U.C.B. were all productive and focused on meaningful ways of working together to find practical, equitable solutions to the nation’s financial situation. Martinez told News Five that the N.T.U.C.B. is happy with the results of the meeting.

Luke Martinez, President, N.T.U.C.B.

“We know that the front line unions, public services union, the association of senior managers A.P.S.S.M. and the National teachers Union B.N.T.U. we know that they are in the frontline in terms of the revenue enhancement and cost savings and so we continue to champion that as the umbrella organization on behalf those frontline unions. Definitely a part of our discussion had to do with some of the legal frameworks. It was very open. We had the opportunity to express our concerns. We also had the opportunity to listen to the presentations and so absolutely it went quite okay for us. We are pleased to have been a part of such discussion.”

Luke Martinez

Hipolito Novelo

“Is the N.T.U.C.B. satisfied with the presentations made by government in terms of the economic situations that the country finds itself it?”

Luke Martinez

“Hipolito this comes back to the championing of the enhancement and the fact that the performance of the income tax and business tax, GST have been weak. So we definitely have pointed that out to see how we could strengthen where we could put strength.”