At the top of the news, we showed you what the representative of the Public Service Union had to say about the stalemate in the budget consultations between the Briceno Government and the Joint Unions Negotiating Team.
Despite multiple days of meetings between the government and the unions, the two sides could not agree on an alternative course of action on how best to save 80 million dollars.
The backdrop to this is that the PSU mauled the Briceno Administration last week Thursday in a strongly worded press release. The Union suggested that there were elements of "hypocrisy" on display by the government in the way that austerity and cost-saving measures were implemented.
While they applaud the conduct and the professionalism of the government's negotiating team, they assert that other government ministers have disregarded the universal call for the prudent use of public resources and a reduction in public spending.
Today, the union's 1st Vice President told us that his membership is closely observing how the decision-makers are increasing the burden on the wage bill while asking them to take a pay cut:
Dean Flowers - 1st VP, Public Service Union
"In our meetings with the government, I think that the government representatives have remained constant in saying that they want to do good. They're trying their best to go good, but it would appear that this good-faith effort is being limited to a few members within the government because what we're seeing in government is more of the same, more of the same abuses, more of the same unnecessary hirings, more of the same unaccountable spending, and the biggest one this morning, which came to me again from out of the Ministry of Health, where there appear to be mass transfers, transfers which will result in higher costs to government because all of these individuals will have to be paid a transfer grant. A lot of them are being transferred to the south, which is indicative of punitive transfers by this administration. These people will have to be paid house rent."
"The actions of the government certainly are not in line with an administration that is exercising discipline and prudence where government finances are concerned."
"Where our members are not permanently established, they're being terminated without absolutely any cause. If you look at these letters being issued by the CEO in the Ministry of Health, there is absolutely no cause, and they're simply a short letter say your services are no longer required, and you need to go home. There isn't even a clear plan in there for how the government intends to settle the benefits of these individuals."
"I can say that a lot of these cases may very well end up in the courts, or will end up in the courts. And again, this will be unnecessary interest charges that will be placed on the backs of the Belizean public."
You'll remember how the PSU was particularly critical of Michel Chebat, the Minister of Health and Wellness. They are alleging that he and his team of advisors are engaging in political victimization of career public servants in the ministry. They say that ministry staffers have either been transferred or terminated without cause, and they go further to suggest that the minister's advisors are engaging in wasteful and unnecessary public spending. Here's what the Vice President had to say when we brought up that topic:
Dean Flowers - 1st VP, Public Service Union
"The public service is run by public officers, and that's why you have your middle managers and your senior managers. There is no provision, at least that I am aware of, whereby there needs to be the bringing into the public service of these advisors and aides to ministers. That's why you have public servants who are permanently established within these ministries, to ensure the efficient and effective running of the public service. These contracted employees who have been brought in are, as we rightfully stated, performing administrative duties and otherwise that established public officers should be performing. Issues of procurement, why would you have a contract employee, who is pretty much just a political person that you bring in, to be engaged in these things. Why not allow the public officers who are part of this institution to do their work? From our view, from the reports that we're receiving, these individuals are merely there to push a political agenda. It would have been informed that in fact, they were transforming the ministry into a more quality services type of ministry. Contrary, the morale of the staff there is very low. Staff feels that they're being attacked. And then, there's also the issue of questions surrounding the issue of purchases, payments. It will be very interesting, once the budget is read, for us to look at the new players who will be doing the procurement of pharmaceuticals for this government."
So, you heard, the union thinks that these transfers are punitive, but they are asking their members to embrace the change and resist the alleged attempts to frustrate them. Here are the words of encouragement that Flowers had for his fellow union colleagues:
Dean Flowers - 1st VP, Public Service Union
"The districts of Stann Creek and PG will be blessed and graced with a lot of public officers during the transfer period. The regulations call for consultation or notices to be served within the months of January and March I believe. But, we trust that these public officers will report to Punta Gorda and Stann Creek as we've seen in some cases and deliver quality public service for the people of the south, and to not be discouraged, to love their jobs, to love what they're doing, and embrace the new environment."
