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President of the Public Service Union Gerald Henry confirmed strike actions will continue through Friday. He also addressed protestors in the Yarborough community. In his remarks, he noted the fight is not over and that the unions are in it for the long haul. Gerald Henry, President, P.S.U. “This is not just a public […]
Written on May 13, 2021 | Posted in
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Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ramon Cervantes said today that in his view the unions are being unreasonable. Like his colleagues, Minister Cervantes will be taking a fifteen percent salary cut and fifty percent cut in his allowances. Minister Cervantes, as Area Representative for Orange Walk North, says these cuts are […]
Written on May 13, 2021 | Posted in
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Earlier in the broadcast, we brought you some footage of union leaders this afternoon. But News Five’s Paul Lopez is still standing by at the House of Culture and we now go to him with a live report. [Live with News Five’s Paul Lopez on Update News Five will have a report on […]
Written on May 13, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on An Update from the Unions Outside the House of Culture
The joint unions may not have been able to stop their salaries from being cut or their increments from being frozen, but the industrial action underway from the public service and teachers unions is also focused on anti-corruption and good governance. There will be a meeting tomorrow between union leaders and government officials, but late […]
Written on May 12, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Briceño Outlines Good Governance Measures to be Undertaken
In his address, PM Briceño says that his government is committed to complete, on an expedited basis, the ongoing rationalization of public service exercise. But according to Briceño, several of the measures that were proposed for public officers and teachers who will be directly affected by the salary adjustment and increment freeze, were rejected by […]
Written on May 12, 2021 | Posted in
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Over the weekend, thousands of Belizean families celebrated Mother’s Day, showing their appreciation for the women who raised them and the struggles they went through along the way. But among the sixty-two thousand or so residents of Belize City, there are some mothers living in extremely difficult situations, often not that far from the multi-storey […]
Written on May 12, 2021 | Posted in
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We have been following the joint union’s strike actions very closely over the past couple of weeks. Today marks the thirteenth consecutive day that the Belize National Teachers Union has been on strike. It is historic, because the last time the B.N.T.U. engaged in strike action, it lasted for eleven days. On Tuesday, News Five […]
Written on May 12, 2021 | Posted in
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Today, at the Radisson Fort George in Belize City, information and communication technology equipment was handed over to the Civil Society Reference Group to continue its work addressing family violence and empowering women. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped the work of community-based leaders, advocates and […]
Written on May 12, 2021 | Posted in
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The Belize National Teachers Union made history today. The union has been engaged in strike action for twelve days, the longest on record. Back in 2005, the B.N.T.U. protested for a total of ten days, while in 2016, their protest lasted for eleven days. Indications are that this time around, the strike will continue into […]
Written on May 11, 2021 | Posted in
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While that was almost two decades ago, tonight the B.N.T.U. and the P.S.U. continue to press the government. Will this P.U.P. administration yield to the union’s request like the last P.U.P. administration? Considering its historical twelve days of consecutive strike action, teachers joined P.S.U. members in front of the House of Culture. Inside, cabinet met […]
Written on May 11, 2021 | Posted in
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Today marks the eleventh day that the Belize National Teachers Union has been on strike, matching the record set in 2016. The Joint Unions Negotiating Team and government representatives are scheduled to meet on Thursday and reports are that a decision on strike actions will not be taken until Friday. So where do the discussions […]
Written on May 10, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Unions Reject Land Credit and Mortgage Proposals; Talks to Continue Thursday
Unions leaders have been calling on the Prime Minister to come to the negotiating table, but would his direct participation make a difference to the outcome? Those ministers who are participating do give him updates, but one union leader says this is not enough. Sharon Frazer, President, A.P.S.S.M. “This is a national issue and […]
Written on May 10, 2021 | Posted in
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While in San Pedro, Minister Bernard visited with Hope Haven Belize, a non-profit that provides a permanent home for children who have been removed from their families by the Human Services Department for various reasons. It also serves as a domestic violence shelter for the island town and caters to single mothers. During his visit, […]
Written on May 10, 2021 | Posted in
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A donation of sewing machines was also made to another non-profit organization on the Ambergris Caye. Shaping Healthy Identities through Nurturing and Empowerment, better known as SHINE, was established back in 2014 and focuses on empowering women. The sewing machines add to the equipment available for the more than one hundred women who have are […]
Written on May 10, 2021 | Posted in
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The Joint Unions Negotiating Team may now be seeing some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel in their fight for good governance. News Five has confirmed that during Thursday’s negotiation meeting, G.O.B.’s team presented three drafts of good governance legislation. Although government had initially indicated that it would take at least three months […]
Written on May 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Government Makes New Proposals; Unions Cautiously Optimistic
Today, the joint unions saw one of their largest membership turnouts to date since the Belize National Teacher’s Union began its strike actions last week Monday. Protestors were bused in from all six districts. The protest stretched for several blocks as those in attendance marched through the main streets of Belize City. For the joint […]
Written on May 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Although the weekend curfew has been pushed back a couple of hours to midnight, this does not mean Belizeans can return to partying as normal. Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa gave a warning to bar operators who are opening shop to sell liquor. Musa says the Statutory Instrument is clear when it comes to these […]
Written on May 7, 2021 | Posted in
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Commissioner Chester Williams says that community policing is getting a boost across the country as commanders of the different regions are being tasked to form citizen groups that will advise and support their mandate. Here’s how he explains it. Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police “It is a directive to all commanders that they need […]
Written on May 7, 2021 | Posted in
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The Joint Unions Negotiating Team and the Government of Belize met today for day-two of discussions inside the House of Culture in Belize City. It was expected that the meeting would run into the evening because nine of the eleven points put forward by the unions were yet to be discussed. But today, those points […]
Written on May 6, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Tensions Rise in Union and G.O.B. Meeting
Prime Minster John Briceño also spoke out today, courtesy of the Government Press Office, on the ongoing negotiations between the unions and G.O.B. representatives. PM Briceño, who is not in the negotiation room with the unions, says he does get updates on what transpires in those meetings. He expressed disappointment with what he deems to […]
Written on May 6, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM on Union Negotiations: Government Must Continue to Function
While the unions are protesting against the government, today another group came out in protest against…. You guessed it: the unions. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports. Isani Cayetano, Reporting Teachers and public officers remain on strike, even with talks resuming between the unions and government regarding a ten percent salary cut and increment freeze. […]
Written on May 6, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on A New Grassroots Movement is Formed against the Unions
The Association of Public Service Senior Management has served the Labor Commissioner Anne Marie Thompson with an official letter, noting its participation in ongoing industrial actions. According to President of A.P.S.S.M., Sharon Frazer, her members are public officers who are legally covered under the P.S.U.’s twenty-one days’ notice of intended strike action. Notwithstanding, Frazer says […]
Written on May 6, 2021 | Posted in
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Social Workers within the Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous People’s Affairs are in fear of possible victimization after Chief Executive Officer Tanya Santos issued a memo to her directors in response to the recent industrial actions. In a letter dated May fourth, 2021 with the heading ‘Strike Action,’ C.E.O. Santos requested that officers […]
Written on May 5, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Public Officers Have a Right to Strike, But…
Now, the Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs addresses some of the most critical needs of our society, including community rehabilitation, human services and women and family support. The ministry is staffed with three hundred employees, which include social workers. And, according to the memo, these measures are being put in place […]
Written on May 5, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Public Officers Absentee List to Be Submitted Daily
And while C.E.O. Santos seeks to assure her social workers that she is not out on a witch hunt, she says the number of social workers not reporting for duty currently is very minimal. According to the Chief Executive Officer, choosing between strike action and the obligation to their clients is an ethical dilemma. […]
Written on May 5, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on To Serve or To Strike? A Social Worker’s Dilemma
