Belize - Belize News - Channel5Belize.com - Great Belize Productions - Belize Breaking News
Home » Featured, People & Places » Teachers will get increase when it is affordable
Mar 21, 2013

Teachers will get increase when it is affordable

It’s been under the radar and off the public scope lately, pushed to the backburner while issues like the super-bond restructuring, the budget presentation and the referendum dominate the spotlight. But make no mistake, the salary adjustment haggling between government and the unions is far from settled. Just for some background, on February first government issued a proposal to the unions stating, in summary, that if government’s revenue grew in 2014 over 2013, then teachers and public officers would receive a percentage of that growth, but the adjustment would not be more than ten percent. There would be no payment in 2013, and if revenue did not grow, there would be none in 2014 either. The negotiating team, with representation from the BNTU, PSU and APSSM took that proposal to the wider membership but although union leaders imposed a media blackout during that phase, reliable and widespread reports confirmed that the reception to the proposal was not exactly joyous. And after that round of consultations, the negotiating team was handed the mandate to return to GOB with a counterproposal. That counterproposal has two primary demands that payment is made in 2013 and not 2014…and that there be a floor on payment, meaning that teachers and public officers would not get more than ten percent, but not less than five percent. Government didn’t take long to respond to that counterproposal. News Five understands that GOB’s position now is that an agreement was reached back on February first, and what the unions are now requesting is not in conformity with the agreement – end of story. In the House today, the Minister John Saldivar said on cue, saying the increase will be given when it is affordable. So where does that put the negotiations? Well, we understand that another formal meeting between the negotiating team and the Prime Minister is set for April fifth. We don’t know if there will be any cutting of birthday cakes on the agenda but we’ll keep you posted.


Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Where speakers use Kriol, we attempt to faithfully reproduce the quotes using a standard spelling system.

Advertise Here

3 Responses for “Teachers will get increase when it is affordable”

  1. Rod says:

    I still can’t believe that the teachers fell for this big lie I can say is unu deserve whey unu get or being dumb no wonder the quality of education is in the drain if unu could actually believe the most corrupt pm and gov, in the history of this great nation.

  2. cayo gyal says:

    HELLO, Mr what r u telling teachers will not intimidate them. U well know that this country needs teacher in order to move forward. Teachers are the backbone of this country which u and ur ministers are controlling but it will not be for too long. WAKE UP MINISTER give the teachers what they deserve.

  3. Storm says:

    I hope the teacher who ordered the boys to kill the monkey isn’t included in salary increases!

    If GOB hadn’t diverted $60,000,000 to the new slush fund, BIL, that money could have been used to increase salaries significantly. But I guess GOB learned from Citco that you can make money awarding public contracts to your cronies, so they had to jump on that bandwagon. Too bad, teachers.

    I feel salary increases should not be across the board, for all teachers equally. Teachers who succeed, by passing their own tests and by the standard test results of their students, should receive commensurate raises, and the worst teachers need to be fired and replaced. Education of our children is the most important responsibility any of us has — good teachers give kids a chance at a good future, bad teaches rob them of a good future. DON’T DARE ROB MY CHILD’S FUTURE!

Comments are closed