UB faculty and staff against 3 year wage freeze
Is there trouble brewing in the horizon for the University of Belize? The institution has a total of four hundred and seventy-six faculty staff and administration, two hundred and fifty of which are fulltime employees. Last week Friday, a meeting was held where over one hundred and sixteen employee signed a petition indicating that they were against a three year wage freeze that the board was implementing. The staff representative Leonardo Pott refused to comment on the dispute and whether or not they would protest if the board did not reverse its decision. UB’s Public Information Officer, Sylvaana Udz, says that the two groups are working together to get the issue resolved quickly.
Sylvaana Udz, Public Information Officer, UB
“The issue at the moment is that the faculty and staff as a body have objected to the UB board’s decision to freeze salaries for three years. It is a budgetary decision. The university is under sound fiscal management. We are not in dire exigencies but it is an option towards planning for the growth of the university. However, the faculty and staff feel that in fact other options could have been explored and at least not a three year freeze. A, the impact on moral, incentives plus the fact that the faculty and staff—sterling people by the way—who as you well know, being an alumnus of the place, dedicate over and beyond and are committed by and large to the dedicate to the national goals of the university. The board has agreed to a meeting called by the ad hoc committee formed on Friday to represent faculty and staff. Faculty and staff assigned this committee the rights to make decisions on its behalf with the board at a meeting now convened for Thursday with that committee and the board. So after that meeting we will know, as management, more what the direction will be in terms of will the board continue with the increment freeze as planned? Or will it acquiesce? Will there be more negotiation? Or what the situation will be. The students their interests are also at heart so, although I know I was asked whether or not there were more stringent measures perhaps, the faculty and staff considered. The truth is we are a responsible faculty and staff at UB and we know that we have a responsible board as well that is willing to listen. And so the meeting decided to opt for discussion with the board for this week.”
Jose Sanchez
“So no discussion of strike?”
Sylvaana Udz
“Strike? It will never be the first option of an academic body like the great people at UB.”
Udz says that the negotiating body with the UB board has at least thirteen individuals representing each faculty. On Thursday that body will meet to come up with a solution.
