Will Pay Cut Be Restored Soon?

Francis Fonseca

That meeting with the Government of Belize and the Joint Unions Negotiating Team has been proposed until December eighth. But, how reasonable is the expectation of a return to full salary for public servants and teachers? Minister Fonseca commented.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“I think we have come a long way in one area I think. Those of us involved in the work at the Cabinet level have been surprised at the growth that we are seeing. We came into government faced with many crises and the economy was on life support. We are no longer on life support, but we are still not out of the hospital, if you would like to use a health analogy. We are no longer on the ventilator, but we are still in the hospital. The economy still needs treatment. It needs a lot of work. Agriculture has rebounded significantly. Tourism is on the rise much faster than we thought it would be. Those are very good signs for the rebounding of the economy. So, in terms of the question you asked about the ten percent, yes that is an absolute commitment of the government. When we meet with the joint unions, we will discuss that issue of how we can put on the table a clear plan of how we can return that ten percent to our public officers and teachers.”