The budget which will be presented in the next 4 to 6 weeks is going to be one of the leanest and toughest ever, and that's why government has started with a round of consultations to get input from all sectors.
Last week, the Prime Minister met with the business sector leaders, and today in the Cabinet Room in Belmopan, the Deputy Prime Minister started meetings with the unions.
DPM, Cordel Hyde, the Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca, and the Minister of the Public Service, Henry Charles Usher met with executive members of the Public Service Union today in Belmopan as part of their budget consultations for the fiscal year 2021/2022.
According to a release the meeting's focus was to first discuss the current financial state of affairs and second to chart an amicable way forward as it relates to a sustainable homegrown plan for economic recovery. What the release does not speak about is what was surely the elephant in the room: which is the proposal for an across the board pay cut for public officers.
And while it was a closed door meeting, all sides were smiling for the photo op. The PSU team included president Gerald Henry, and executive members Dean Flowers, Shane Reneau, Ana Loague and Gale Garcia.
Hyde and his cabinet colleagues will also be meeting this week with the BNTU, the NTUCB, and the Association of the Public Service Senior Manages, APSSM.
