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The National Trade Union Congress of Belize has called on the joint unions and the Government of Belize to go back to the negotiation table. But, since G.O.B. has already taken the position that it will fix the salaries of public servants and teachers, we asked Martinez if those discussions, should they resume, would now […]
Written on April 28, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on N.T.U.C.B. Calls for Return to Negotiations
When asked if the N.T.U.C.B. would continue to participate in the Commission of Inquiry proceedings which ended abruptly days ago when the live feed was cut in the middle of his speech, Martinez called on the Director of Press Office to resign. As for the N.T.U.C.B.’s continued participation, Martinez says the union congress has a […]
Written on April 28, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Martinez Says Unions Would Continue with Commission of Inquiry
Union Senator Elena Smith also called on the Government of Belize to come back to the table for further discussions. Smith says that while the ten percent cut and increment freezes appear to be a foregone conclusion, further discussion between the unions and government can focus on issues of good governance. Elena Smith, Senator […]
Written on April 28, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Senator Smith Calls G.O.B. Back to Discussions
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 […]
Written on April 23, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Refutes Asset Sales
And, finally from inside the National Assembly chambers, Prime Minister Briceño sought to set the record straight about why the public service wage bill has become unsustainable. PM Briceño referred to the three salary increases for public officers that the U.D.P. administration approved over the past decade. PM Briceño went on to say that the […]
Written on April 23, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Blames U.D.P. for Unsustainable Wage Bill
While the unions made their presence known outside the National Assembly, on the inside, it was business as usual for the first day of the Budget Debate, as the members took turns both criticizing and supporting parts of the budget that most directly affect their ministerial portfolios and constituents. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has excerpts […]
Written on April 22, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on 2021 Budget Debate Off to a Tepid Start
Today in the House, Cayo South Area Representative, who knew that Minister Usher had told Cabinet on Wednesday he would use his constitutional power to “fix” public officers’ salary, to reflect the wage cuts and increment freeze, Espat said he hoped that the government and the unions could continue to dialogue for the good of […]
Written on April 22, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Julius Espat is Hopeful that Impasse will be Resolved Peacefully
On the opposition’s side of the House, Area Representative for the Albert Division Tracey Taegar-Panton went on record to say she cannot support a budget that cuts the salaries of teachers and public officers. Panton acknowledged that the U.D.P. administration has been criticized for borrowing a million dollars a day to address the salary commitment […]
Written on April 22, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on U.D.P.’s Panton Says She Cannot Support Wage Cut
The details of Wednesday’s cabinet meeting were released late this afternoon. The big news is that the Minister of the Public Service, Henry Charles Usher, will proceed to fix the salaries of public officers due to the deteriorated state of public finances. To soften the blow, cabinet agreed to grant a land credit to the […]
Written on April 22, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Cabinet Approves Changes to Public Officer Salaries
The financial plan for 2021, presented by Prime Minister John Briceño on April ninth, will be hotly debated on Thursday and Friday in parliament. News Five’s Isani Cayetano looks at the issues on the table. Isani Cayetano, Reporting It promises to be a robust, albeit severely lopsided affair, considering the fact that the opposition […]
Written on April 21, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Budget Debates Begins Tomorrow, What Should We Expect?
As extraordinary as it sounds, the Belmopan City Council is facing possible eviction from the Belmopan City Hall, and all three additional City Council structures on the property. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this dramatic turn of events. Paul Lopez, Reporting News Five has learnt that the National Bank of Belize has […]
Written on April 14, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Belmopan City Council Faces Evection from City Hall
While the budget presentation was the purpose of last Friday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, it was what prompted the walk out by members of the Opposition that stirred up a lot of attention going into the weekend. News Five’s Paul Lopez took a closer look at the strong reactions to the use of […]
Written on April 12, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Racial Slur or Heated Put Down? Area Reps Respond to “Boy.”
We also asked the PM for comments on the Public Service Union’s call for him to rein in his Minister of Health, Michel Chebat. On April first, the Public Service Union issued a press release calling out the Minister of Health for what they term bullish behaviors that are making Public Officers uncomfortable and promoting […]
Written on April 12, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM to Unions: “When Baby Want Cry They Will Cry”
Back in March we told you about the sale of four aircraft under the Briceno administration which were finalized in February of 2021. The two Grumman Gulfstream G-Two and two Hawker Sidley H.S. one-twenty-five’s were sold for only five hundred and forty thousand dollars and listed as unserviceable. The Minister of Finance, according to the […]
Written on April 12, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Comments on Sale of Aircrafts and Firearms
After weeks of back and forth between the Prime Minister, his Cabinet and Financial Secretary and the joint unions who have now filed notice of industrial action, the 2021-22 national budget was presented in the House of Representatives this morning. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the details. Prime Minister John Briceño “The sixth most […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The 2021 Budget Presentation at a Glance
Once today’s House Meeting was adjourned, the press met Prime Minister John Briceño outside the National Assembly chambers. As viewers may be aware, while PM Briceño has debated numerous budget presentations as Opposition, today was his first budget presentation as leader of the country. His presentation went on for approximately eighty-three minutes, a personal record. […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Lays Out Financial Crisis in Budget Presentation
The five-member opposition, led by Collet Area Representative Patrick Faber, walked out of the National Assembly this afternoon, following the use of an offensive remark made by Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat. In rising on a point of order, the Leader of the Opposition was referred to as a boy. The term, while belittling […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Opposition Walks Out after Unparliamentary Language is Used
A new area representative for Corozal Bay took the oath of office in the National Assembly this morning, succeeding her late brother who lost his battle with COVID-19 shortly after unseating former Area Rep Pablo Marin in November 2020. Elvia Vega won decisively over U.D.P. opponent Hilberto Campo during a by-election on March third and […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Elvia Vega is Sworn-in as Corozal Bay Area Rep
The rapport between the unions and government has been generally contentious. What began as consultations during the preparation of the 2021 budget has resulted in a salary cut that sees the wages of teachers and public officers being reduced by ten percent. The P.S.U. has expressed discontent by serving a twenty-one day notice of intended […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on G.O.B. and Unions Agree on Need for Vigorous Tax Collection
While the PM did mention the ten percent salary cuts and three-year increment freeze for the public service, he did not belabor the point during his budget presentation. Outside the House, reporters asked PM Briceño whether he had taken a deliberate decision to spend so little time on the these controversial issues. Prime Minister […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Budget Presentation Makes Brief Mention of Wage Cuts
The Government of Belize is putting in place the necessary measures to keep the public service operational should the Public Service Union take industrial action. As we have reported, the Public Service Union has already served G.O.B. with a twenty-one-day notice. Among the public servants are key revenue collectors whose absence from office could possibly […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on G.O.B. Prepares for Industrial Action
SpeedNet, a parent company to Smart Belize, is reportedly indebted to the Government of Belize to the tune of eleven point one million dollars in GST. The sum has accumulated overtime as a result of interest and penalties accrued. The outstanding debt is in the name of one Vanessa Briceño, a relative to the Prime […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Comments on his Sister’s GST Debt
The Governor General of Belize Sir Colville Young tendered his resignation on April fourth. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Governor General noted that he is resigning in keeping with a request made by the Prime Minster on March fifteenth, 2021. He noted that the PM should not hesitate to call on […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Head of State Tenders Resignation
Another member of the Opposition Shyne Barrow, the Area Representative for Mesopotamia, also spoke during the budget presentation today. He says the Briceño administration needs to do more for parts of Belize like his division where residents are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. In his view, the Port Loyola Expansion Project […]
Written on April 9, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on U.D.P. Area Rep Shyne Barrow Comes Out in Support of Waterloo Project
Prime Minister John Briceño issued a late evening statement saying it is absolutely critical that G.O.B. carry out the public service salary cuts and increment freezes. The Prime Minister described the consultations with the Joint Unions as full frank and courteous. He says his administration took a close look at every aspect of Government’s revenue […]
Written on April 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Briceño to go ahead with Salary Cuts and Increment Freezes
