P.S.U. President Says C.E.Os’ Telephone Benefit Increase Is Unfair

Late last week the unions sent off quick reactions to the government’s announcement that it had approved telephone allowance increases for Chief Executive Officers in the various ministries. The Public Service Union informed that the immediate reaction of public officers is one of alarm and disgust. Today, the president of that union, Dean Flowers, told News Five that the P.S.U. is hoping that Cabinet will rescind the increase for the telephone increase to CEOs and argued why the increase is unfair to public officers.

Dean Flowers

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U

“As it relates to the recent proposed increase in telephone allowance to CEOs, Marion, which we got to know off by way of that leaked email from the Financial Secretary to the Cabinet Secretary, before I comment, I just want to also applaud the public officer who did the right thing. And I want to continue to encourage public officers to continue to be whistleblowers where gross abuse and corruption is concerned. Now, as it relates to that proposed increase, I want to say that the union put out a press release on Friday, which I believe made it clear to the Government of Belize that that is gross abuse by the Financial Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary to have even met to consider such unconscionable increase in allowance to a group of officers who are already benefiting tremendously from the people’s purse and who are already abusing the public purse in certain respects, especially where other allowances and  access to government resources are concerned. We expect that the government will do the right thing and that Cabinet will instruct the Financial Secretary to rethink that approval – that telephone allowance, the increase. There is no justification for it and the Public Service Union will not stand idly by and watch this gross abuse go through at a time when public officers continue to be out of pocket through increments, at a time when public officers are being asked to contribute to their pension, at a time when we’re in negotiations with the government for a comprehensive review of salaries. Here we come now with these types of nonsense. And I also want to call the conflict of interest that I see in this position by the Financial Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary who included themselves in the increase.”