Another poor salary adjustment consultation

Otilio Munoz

On Tuesday evening representatives from the B.N.T.U., the P.S.U. and the A.P.S.S.M. travelled to Orange Walk where they met with teachers and public officers from that district branch to present G.O.B.’s salary adjustment proposal. News Five has confirmed that the session was intense and the audience was vocal. So vocal, in fact, that the President of the Orange Walk branch of the B.N.T.U. had to intervene several times to tone down the meeting. Today our team travelled north and spoke to President Otilio Munoz, who stated the concerns of the branch and its position.

 Otilio Munoz, President, B.N.T.U. Orange Walk Branch

“The main change is that alright after looking at figures and everything, they say okay, it looks like government will be getting fourteen percent as how it was presented to them by the head table. They said, alright we don’t want the fourteen, we want the ten, but we want the ten now. So that is one of the things that they want to see in that proposal. From there, the negotiating team have that to put to the table to be negotiated with the government, with the Prime Minister. We do have some other concerns as to expenditures of the government putting at risk this proposal because when you are looking at expenditures, you are looking at huge expenditures from the government. Then if there is no surplus, then there is a big problem. What will be given to the public service and the teachers? Orange Walk completely rejected it as it is. So I want to make that clear. Orange Walk Branch B.N.T.U. and P.S.U. who were there rejected as it is.”

Of note is that four hundred teachers are registered in the Orange Walk branch and about one hundred attended, along with about twenty public officers. Munoz blames the attendance on the time and logistics of the meeting. News Five tried to get a comment from B.N.T.U. National President Luke Palacio, but he reserved comment. The next meeting with membership is scheduled for tonight in Corozal.