Teachers were also actively striking in San Pedro on Monday. Today, those teachers engaged in an educational campaign to bring awareness among the general public of their purpose for strike action. One union member confirmed with News five that the union will follow through with its strike for the remainder of the week. Helen […]
The last time the teachers went on strike was back in October 2016; it lasted eleven days. Their salaries were cut and that matter was taken before the courts. As you heard from the B.N.T.U.’s Belize District Branch president, the teachers expect that deductions will be made. So today, we asked Education C.E.O., Dian Maheia […]
C.E.O. Maheia told News Five the Ministry of Education will continue to monitor the situation since it is not known how long the teacher’s strike will last. Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Ministry of Education “I don’t think anyone knows how long this will last. We hope that this will not be something that will be […]
The Public Service Union of Belize has joined the B.N.T.U.’s criticism of some media houses, saying the union will avoid engaging with those which continue to run anti-union advertisements. They say the government sponsored ads are designed to “deceive and misinform the Belizean Public.” Vice President Dean Flowers discussed the P.S.U.’s position with New Five’s […]
April twenty-fifth was World Malaria Day, but Belize’s Vector Control Unit is planning awareness activities across the country for this entire week. They are also celebrating the strides Belize has made as we work towards being declared “malaria free.” News Five’s Andrea Polanco has more. Andrea Polanco, Reporting Belize hasn’t recorded a single case […]
On Monday night, we brought you the story of an environmental crisis that is taking place in Pomona Valley where mining activities along the North Stann Creek River are adversely affecting the community. Residents claim that operations conducted by West End Construction, a company that has been working in the area since 201, have led […]
The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center has a new leader. He’s a familiar face, having spent over two decades with the organization. His academic studies and experience have prepared him for this career advancement. Today, we stopped in at the zoo for a chat with the new director about his exciting new role. […]
The first three phases of the COVID vaccination exercise are currently open. Members of law enforcement agencies as well as tourism stakeholders can now get vaccinated. But as of last week, just thirteen percent of police officers had received their first dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. As we found out, ComPol Chester Williams […]
A Belizean studying in Florida is preparing for the Miss Florida Teen competition this summer. Seventeen year old Isabella Zabaneh will enter as Miss North Tampa Teen U.S.A., but her ultimate goal is to one day represent Belize on the world stage as Miss Universe Belize. Currently, she is pursuing a degree in Tampa, majoring […]
The Belize National Teachers Union took the streets today in their first day of protest. How like will the Union sustain this protest action? And, will their decision to protest further affect students’ academic development during an already trying year? News Five’s Paul Lopez followed the teachers in Belize City today to learn more. Here […]
ComPol Chester Williams says that the police department is working to maintain order, while still allowing the teachers and public service officers to carry out their constitutional right to protest and strike. Williams speaks about the department’s approach. Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police “We as a department who have been tasked to ensure that […]
Studies show that one in every hundred children will be born with some form of heart disease. While most of the cases are mild or easily treatable, there are some that are life threatening and difficult to treat. In Belize, there are limited services and for many parents it is too costly to undertake on […]
The International Office of Migration and the United States Agency for International Development hosted two Mobile Migrant Hubs in Toledo to provide information and services to migrants for safe and orderly migration. The Mobile Migrant Hubs offer a single location to provide information and services where regularized migrants can obtain foreign national documents, applications for […]
In more from the B.N.T.U. protest today, some in the union are pushing for a boycott of certain media houses. According to President of the Union, Senator Elena Smith, this is in response to the airing of certain anti-union government ads. But, the union is reportedly being specific in the media houses they are targeting. […]
Day two of the national budget continued today inside the National Assembly. But it was outside where all the action happened. The joint unions, galvanized by a common stance against G.O.B., brought out the numbers, as well as the drums and dance moves. It was a lively and colorful scene as the union members demonstrated […]
And so there you heard the unions say that they are not backing down from their industrial actions. The B.N.T.U. has informed the Ministry of Education that teachers will go on strike on Monday. It is not clear for how long they will not be teaching but they say that they are prepared to go […]
Deputy Prime Minister and member for the Lake Independence division, Cordel Hyde says he views the public service wage cut as a necessary action, even in the face of discontent from public servants. During his budget speech, Hyde said the salary adjustment will be reviewed every six months in partnership with the unions. He pleaded […]
Area Representative for Corozal North, Hugo Patt criticized the 2021/2022 budget as being a bill that creates additional burdens for the Belizean people. He noted that while the U.D.P. administration was criticized for its borrowing practices, they never cut the salaries of public servants. And while the records will show that the former administration did […]
Corozal Bay area rep Elvia Vega Samos, the newest member of parliament, spoke for only fifteen minutes. Her brief comments were filled with disapproval of the U.D.P.’s Corozal North Area Representative. She pledged to provide better leadership in Corozal Bay. Elvia Vega-Samos, Area Representative, Corozal Bay “I cannot fathom the idea how the member […]
The Department of Lands will be going after private landowners with exorbitant outstanding tax payments. According to Minster of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde, approximately four hundred and sixty-four persons or companies own up to eighty-two percent or three point two million acres of land in Belize. And, as Minister Hyde puts it, most of these […]
While the Lands Department is beefing up its tax collection unit, area rep for Fort George, Henry Charles Usher is blaming the former administration for the current land tax deficit. Usher revealed that the former administration signed off on fifty years’ worth of land tax for two hundred and sixty thousand acres of land bought […]
On Tuesday, Public Service Minister Henry Charles Usher informed cabinet of his intent to fix the salaries of public officers. According to a cabinet brief released on Thursday, the minister in his decision is considering the deteriorated state of public finances and the views of the joint unions. The records suggest that the last time […]
The joint unions have been calling for the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, UNCAC. As Attorney General Magali Marin Young explained today, UNCAC is not a piece of legislation to be imported into this jurisdiction. Belize has already signed on to the convention, but those good governance measures are slow in coming. […]
While the salaries of public servants will be fixed, the Office of the Attorney General is facing a shortage of legal drafters. Currently, the office has only two, so outsourcing legal drafters is an option the AG Ministry is exploring. Magali Marin-Young, Attorney General “I don’t know if it is being lost on the […]
Prime Minister John Briceño began wrapping up the budget debate a little after five p.m. today. PM Briceño responded to accusations from Mesopotamia area rep Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow who accused the Prime Minister and his administration of selling off public assets and engaging in spending sprees on vehicles over the last five months. Well, PM […]
