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At midday today, public officers across the country walked out of their respective government buildings and took to the streets in the various municipalities in anticipation of strike action that is to take effect next Tuesday. News Five’s Duane Moody was out on Freetown Road where teachers joined public officers and paraded through the streets […]
Written on April 30, 2021 | Posted in
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The Joint Unions Negotiating Team met in a marathon session on Thursday evening to devise a strategy going forward, as public officers are set to commence a strike on May fourth. According to P.S.U. President Gerald Henry, the imminent industrial action will see the operations of some government departments grinding to a halt in the […]
Written on April 30, 2021 | Posted in
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While the Public Service Union will be leading the charge this time, Henry says that the P.S.U. enjoys the full support of the Belize National Teachers Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers. On the Phone: Gerald Henry, President, Public Service Union “Certainly, I can safely say that they are in full […]
Written on April 30, 2021 | Posted in
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This week, Cabinet gave its approval for the Ministry of Labour to proceed with the development of a national child labour plan. The last one was developed back in 2009, but was never implemented. This time around, the ministry says they have done the necessary ground work and created achievable targets to push Belize towards […]
Written on April 30, 2021 | Posted in
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The Joint Unions Negotiating Team met this afternoon in an extended virtual session, following the passage of the 2021 Budget in the upper house on Wednesday. The way forward for the Belize National Teachers Union, the Association of Public Service Senior Managers and the Public Service Union is uncertain. Wednesday’s vote in the Senate has […]
Written on April 29, 2021 | Posted in
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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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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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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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This week it was the teachers. Next week it will be the Public Service. News Five has confirmed that P.S.U. members will begin their strike action on Monday, May third. Their concerns are similar to those of the N.T.U.C.B. which has expressed its solidarity with the joint unions. In a release, the National Trade Union […]
Written on April 27, 2021 | Posted in
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P.S.U. Vice President Dean Flowers confirms that all consultations between the government and the joint unions have ended. Dean Flowers, Vice President, P.S.U. “In our view the consultations that the government was having with the Joint Unions have come to an end. As you are aware on the twelfth of April the Public Service […]
Written on April 27, 2021 | Posted in
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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 […]
Written on April 26, 2021 | Posted in
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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 […]
Written on April 26, 2021 | Posted in
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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 […]
Written on April 23, 2021 | Posted in
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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 […]
Written on April 23, 2021 | Posted in
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All eyes today were on Independence Hill, as teachers, nurses and other members of the joint unions came out to express their discontent with G.O.B. and its intent to cut their salaries by ten percent and freeze their increments for an additional three years. News Five’s Duane Moody was outside the National Assembly this morning. […]
Written on April 22, 2021 | Posted in
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The Orange Walk Youth Home of Hope, which currently houses five teenage boys, opened its doors back in September of 2020. Since then, its residents have been undergoing homeschooling and trainings in everyday life skills. The home offers these at-risk teenage boys an opportunity to better themselves in these areas where their success may be […]
Written on April 20, 2021 | Posted in
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As many families struggle to put food on the table due to job losses under COVID-19, many Belizeans have to create their own opportunities. Fortunately, a recent donation from Taiwan to the Ministry of Human Development is already having an impact in many northern communities. News Five’s Andrea Polanco takes a closer look at this […]
Written on April 20, 2021 | Posted in
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Heading into the weekend, you may want to be aware of the new statutory instrument that came into effect on Wednesday at midnight. There are a few a few changes to the COVID-19 regulations. The amendments state that on Fridays and Saturdays the curfew hours are now from twelve a.m. to five a.m. and from […]
Written on April 16, 2021 | Posted in
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Children have a right to an education, even in times of emergencies. Today, UNICEF in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Organization facilitated a training with fifteen disaster shelter managers. As a part of the training, participants were taught how to identify areas where continued learning in disaster situations can be facilitated. Participants reviewed the […]
Written on April 15, 2021 | Posted in
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Our grandparents got their news and information from Radio Belize and the Beacon Newspaper, the next generation benefitted from independent television stations and more varied radio and newspaper choices. Today’s young people tap into social media and live stream as citizen journalists. But somewhere in between, connecting the past, present and the future of Belizean […]
Written on April 15, 2021 | Posted in
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The Statutory Instrument which has been extended several times during the COVID-19 pandemic expires on Thursday. The S.I. restricts movements, imposes curfew times and determines which businesses or public activities can resume, yet no new information has come out to tell the public whether or not the curfew will be extended or any other changes […]
Written on April 14, 2021 | Posted in
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The Government of Belize is stretching the three million dollars that the Prime Minister will be allocated in the 2021/2022 budget for the food assistance program. A single grocery bag that was valued at ninety-five dollars in November of last year may be cut down to seventy-five dollars, according to Minister Dolores Balderamos Garcia. The […]
Written on April 14, 2021 | Posted in
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The Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples Affairs and the Love Foundation signed a partnership agreement this morning. One of the first issues they will jointly tackle is human trafficking. At today’s signing ceremony at the Hub Resource Center in Belize City Minister Dolores Balderamos-Garcia provided further details. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister […]
Written on April 14, 2021 | Posted in
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The Public Service Union officially served the government with its notice of a trade dispute on Monday, following a poll of its membership after the government’s 2021-22 budget presentation. The dispute comes on the heels of government’s intent to freeze increments and slashing salaries by ten percent for three years despite protracted efforts by the […]
Written on April 13, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Serves Notice of Trade Dispute to G.O.B.
While strike action is highly anticipated when the twenty-one-day period expires, first vice president of the Public Service Union, Dean Flowers says that a work-to-rule campaign, as an initial form of industrial action, has already taken effect. He says this must occur because the unions see this as a fight against economic injustice and a […]
Written on April 13, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Lookout for Industrial Action from Unions
