On Thursday, January 3rd at its last meeting of this term of government, Cabinet decided that it would be giving public officers and teachers a pay raise. No figure was discussed and coming on the cusp of an election, it had the odor of electioneering. But, a commitment is a commitment - and there it was in black and white...and in lean times, no one walks away from more money. But from the public response of the teachers and Public Service Unions, it seemed like that's just what they were ready to do. On Monday the unions sent out a joint release calling the proposed pay raise unilateral and grossly disrespectful, irresponsible...union busting and an act of bad faith." Sounded to us like fight talk, and we took that to mean that they didn't want the raise. Well, they do - but they want it along with something else. What is that something? PSU President Jacqueline Willoughby and BNTU President Jaime Panti came to outline their precise position to us today.
Jacqueline Willoughby, PSU President
"We are not rejecting. I can't understand where you get your interpretation from, there is absolutely nothing in that that even infers that we were rejecting anything. What we are saying is here you come, you offer us a salary increase but you refuse to come to the table and talk about an increment that is owed to us. The increment is an obligation. If I were to use the words of the Prime Minister, he has a commitment to support salary increase which will be put in the budget. But when he spoke about the BDF, he spoke about immediate approval. That seems to suggest some difference to me and I am sure my colleague here shares the same view."
Jaime Panti, President - BNTU
"Well certainly one of them things is that we want to make very clear: is that first we were dealing with the increment freeze and we have requested from government to meet with us so we can thrash that out, because that's an increment freeze from 2005/2006. The union feels we need to thrash that out first before we get into any new agreement with government."
Jules Vasquez,
So is it right to say that you accept the 5% to 10%, that's what the Cab Sec told me, no figure was put on the official release, is it right to say?
Jaime Panti,
"We are not accepting any number until we go to the negotiating table. We are not in any agreement. We will, and actually we deserve an increment freeze. If you look at the cost of living..."
Jules Vasquez,
An increment not an increment freeze.
Jaime Panti,
"An increment is separate from the wage increase, it is very separate.
We deserve that. All the workers of Belize deserve a salary increase. We need to go to the negotiating table to work out a number."
Jacqueline Willoughby,
"Let us make a clarification Jules, none of the unions have said we don't want a salary increase. Inflation, we deserve more than a salary increase. We are saying it is the disrespectful, it is disingenuous even. Before such a thing could have been even announced, they should have called us to the table.
Who will honor this commitment? We know government's track record; many promises have been made and they have not been kept, in my mind. So salary increase is another one of them. I find it disingenuous because we are one month before an election and you know, when you tell anybody, whether it be public officers or not, about money before an election, that seems to be suggest that you're not being sincere. If you will say that it will be the in the budget, the budget process started from October Jules, from October. We should have been at the table."
Jules Vasquez,
Is this an attempt to get rid of the nagging and pestering about, what the government apparently views as nagging and pestering, about this increment freeze?
Jaime Panti,
"Probably but we at the unions, we are more focused on what the function of the union is. You know February the 8th might be that and that is for politicians and the people to determine but we as a union will be focused about the issues we have in this country."
Jules Vasquez,
Are you all being paid as part of an election stunt, a gimmick to send out one month before the election: 'we are going to give teachers and public officers an unspecified figure and then you can't say we didn't do it,' and it becomes a part of the whole avalanche of good will which the government hopes to take into an election?
Jacqueline Willoughby,
"Jules, whether it is that or not, is something for the government to decide. What I will say is I have confidence in public officers as I am sure brother Panti has confidence in his teachers. Everybody needs money, that is abundantly clear; we buy Lotto, we buy boledo, we buy all kinds of things to get money. Everybody needs money. If the Prime Minister feels he has it to give - I encourage citizens, everyone, to go and get it."
Jaime Panti,
"I would want to clarify that at no point in time did we say that we did not want the salary increases. As a matter of fact we deserve a lot more...far more than salary increases. So we want to make that very clear and we are expecting that whoever is in government come February 7th, they will honor the salary increases."
Jacqueline Willoughby,
"We want the salary increases but we deserve and we have already worked for increments. We want them point blank."
Jules Vasquez,
Are you prepared to accept one without the other?
Jaime Panti,
"Certainly not."
Jacqueline Willoughby,
"We want two - salary increases plus increments."
Jaime Panti,
"But it is something that we are making a point: come February the 7th, we have expectations. That is the point we are making to whosoever government comes into power. This is our expectations."
Jules Vasquez,
Is it fair to bind, were there to be a change of government, is it fair to bind what would be a UDP administration to what may have been a reckless electioneering promise made by the outgoing government?
Jacqueline Willoughby,
"Government is for the people, by the people. Government is government. The government made a promise, irrespective UDP, VIP, NIP - any P that comes."
The union leaders say they are willing to negotiate the increment freeze and it can be paid in benefits or bonds, it does not have to be paid in cash. But they agree that it is unlikely that they will be unable to get anything negotiated with the election now upon us.
