And while the PSU, the Water Service workers and the Medical and Dental union are escalating their industrial action to match the teachers, the NTUCB leaders met with government negotiators last night, and they seem confident that a solution is at hand, though not in hand.
Last night Deputy Prime Minister John Briceno and Attorney General Francis Fonseca joined meetings with the union leaders where they made a number of concessions. First, instead of staggering the promised increments over three years starting in December, the Ministers agreed to grant the increments over two years starting in April of this year, not December. Second, they agreed to we'd establish a working group that will be responsible for monitoring the reform process which will be led a Chamber and government team dealing with 10 areas of reform of public finance management. Third, the government agreed to restore the University of Belize's budget to $7.5 million, after it had been cut by $500,000. Those proposals were agreeable to the NTUCB and this morning on radio General Secretary George Frazer said that in view of these concessions the school strike could be ended by Monday. But there may be a hitch. Up to just minutes before news time, Ministers Godfrey Smith, Jose Coye and Francis Fonseca along with the school managers were waiting for Frazer to show up at a meeting in Belize City to formally accept these proposals in a letter from the Prime Minister. When we called, Frazer was an hour late and the room was waiting. When he does show and accept the proposals as expected, the government side will see it as a major step to ending the impasse in at least one area. But even as the NTUCB talks conciliation with government, the teachers were in the streets today with a petition, asking the community for support and getting it. Later on in our newscast we'll show you what kind of love they got on the streets.
