P.S.U. and B.N.T.U. sign years overdue agreement with G.O.B.

The unions and the government have been negotiating for years and earlier today the government agreed to a long list of allowances when they signed off an agreement on part of what the unions had initially proposed. For the past four years, joint negotiations have been ongoing between the Public Service Union, Belize National Teacher’s Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers with representatives from government. The government negotiators include a subcommittee of Cabinet ministers; Patrick Faber, Senator Charles Gibson and Senator Godwin Hulse. The partial collective bargaining agreement is to take effect in the next financial year, which begins in April 2013. Faber went over a long list of benefits that have been agreed to so far.

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

Patrick Faber

“An increase in allowances for cashiers, there is an increase in revenue allowance per month, there is an increase in housing and rent allowance for public officers and teachers, there is an increase in daily subsistence; that’s travelling allowances for general workers as well as established workers, there is an increase in hazardous allowances, there is an increase in the allowance—entertainment allowance as it relates to heads of departments—there is an increase in travelling allowance for public officers who travel abroad, there is an increase in motor vehicle allowance, there is an agreement for public sector modernization to include a performance appraisal system or meritocracy system, a position classification plan, review of the public service regulations, review of the government workers regulations, and an institutional audit of the public service; all of these form a part of that public sector modernization plan that we’re agreeing to today. There is an increase in the responsibility allowance for principals and vice principals depending on the size of their schools. There is a career path remuneration, there is an increase in commuting allowances, there is I believe increase in hardship allowances for teachers who are in rural areas who have to commute. There is an increase in the—the establishment of a teacher training subsidy. I believe that’s it.  These that we have agreed upon represent what we believe in the government we are able to do at this time, given the financial crunch that is upon this government.”