Fonseca Says G.O.B. has Addressed Union Concerns

Francis Fonseca

The Joint Unions Negotiating Team is preparing its response to government’s most recent proposal, which was made public last Wednesday during a prepared address by Prime Minister John Briceño.  Education Minister Francis Fonseca, sat on the government’s negotiating team.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“Based on that consultation and that discussion, the joint unions asked for clarification of a few issues and yesterday the prime minister again wrote to the unions making certain clarifications as it relates to, for example, the work week.  [That] was one clarification they requested.  Whether or not that was still the question of having a five hour or less work week and the prime minister in his letter of clarification pointed out that yes, the government was still prepared to accommodate the joint unions and allow for a work week which requires five hours less work on the part of public officers and teachers.  So that was cleared up.  They had also asked about the appointment of a member of the N.T.U.C.B. to the board of the National Bank.  Again, the letter submitted yesterday, or perhaps it was sent this morning, clarified and said yes, the government agrees to appointing a member of the N.T.U.C.B., a representative of the N.T.U.C.B. to National Bank.  And then there was another issue they raised about whether or not the forbearance period that the prime minister had negotiated with the Central Bank of Belize, whether that extended beyond residential mortgages and applied to all mortgages, and again that was clarified in our letter today, saying yes, that in fact it was not limited to residential mortgages but applied to all mortgages.”

Late this afternoon the Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement confirming the items Minister Fonseca spoke about this morning would be put in writing.