Cabinet Approves Changes to Public Officer Salaries

The details of Wednesday’s cabinet meeting were released late this afternoon. The big news is that the Minister of the Public Service, Henry Charles Usher, will proceed to fix the salaries of public officers due to the deteriorated state of public finances.  To soften the blow, cabinet agreed to grant a land credit to the affected public officers that’s equivalent to fifty percent of the salary adjustment. This may be used when they acquire land from the government.  In relation to a story making the news this week, cabinet has ordered that there be a review of a lease agreement signed by Edmond Castro, the former minister responsible for ports, and Recological Systems Limited for twenty-five years.  This contract was signed on November ninth, 2020, two days before the General Elections and after the House of Representatives was dissolved.  In agricultural news, cabinet ministers authorized the delivery of fifty thousand tons of sugarcane from Orange Walk and Corozal sugarcane farmers to be milled by the Santander Sugar Group. They also approved the establishment of a Citrus Working Group tasked with preparing recommendations to chart the way forward for Belize’s citrus industry.  As mentioned in the House of Representatives this morning, cabinet also gave the green light for resumption of non-contact sports and for training only for those involved in contact sports as well as to allow for recreational sports.  They will also review the protocols for sporting activities in the coming months with a view to allow for spectator sports.