Earlier we told you that there were no indications that the PSU delivered the notice of industrial action to the Department of Labor. Well, a late press release says that the president personally served the Minister of Labor with a notice of a Trade Dispute existing between GOB via the Ministry of Finance and the PSU.
The release says quote, "The dispute is born out the Prime Ministers' presentation of the 2021/2022 budget estimates and accompanying forecasts which depicts the freezing of increments of Public Officers for an additional three years and as proposed by the Government, the slashing of salaries by 10% and holding the salary cut in place for three years. Despite the PSU and its sister Unions sound objection to the Government proposed salary adjustments, the Government has proceeded unilaterally in making its decision."
The release continues by saying that the government's actions should have been geared towards reducing the wage premium currently being paid to ministers, CEO's, redundant contract officers, rehired-retired contract officers and other senior government officials. They are also calling for the removal of allowances and for the government to immediately address public sector reform.
The PSU notes that the 80 million dollars that GOB has, quote, "decided to wrench from the hands of the public officers will only hurt the economy further through adverse effects on the lives and livelihoods of public officers, small businesses, and many more in the informal sector who rely on the spending of public sector workers." End quote.
As a startup, the PSU will now commence its work-to-rule campaign effective Tuesday, April 13, 2021 until further notice.
PM Will Speak to Minister Misho
And so while the PSU is now focussed on industrial action for thousands of public officers, two weeks ago, they sent out a press release with w stinging rebuke for the Minister of Health, Michel Chebat. They urged the Prime Minister to, quote, reign him in. Here's what the PM said when we asked him about it on Friday:
Reporter
"Do you agree with the unions in this request?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I don't agree fully with what they are saying, because when baby wants to cry, ih wah cry fu anything. But what I can assure you is that I will sit down and talk to the minister and see what are the issues if there are any issues that are merited to be answer then we will deal with it."
PM Wants People Working Not Getting Food Assistance
And, in his budget speech, the PM also dealt with the food distance program. He announced that 3 million would be earmarked for it - which may sound like a lot - but with thousands of people depending on that program, it will only last a few months. The PM said jobs, not food assistance is what COVID affected people need:
Reporter
"It's only 3 million?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"It's 3 million."
Reporter
"That's only a few households."
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I urge you to look at the numbers and to read what is in front of us, that we simply don't have money and we are doing our best to be able to see how we can keep this program going. We put the first 3 million, but later on as we proceed and if there are ways that we can move around funds from other areas to be able to keep that going - we'd want to keep it as long as we possibly can, but to me what is more important is to be able to get people to work. To give a citizen a bag of grocery is nowhere close to them to be able to work."
PM Wants Gov't Appointees to Roll When Elections Are Held
And one piece of legislation introduced on Friday in the House also got some attention. That's the Belize Constitution 10th amendment bill and it makes it so that persons appointed to the Belize Advisory Council, the Elections and Boundaries Commission and the Public Services Commission leave office when the government that appointed them does. The PM discussed:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"It will affect all those who were in the previous government and refused to leave and they should be ashamed that they have not done the right thing and the protocol has always been that you act with a little bit of integrity that you know that you are a politically appointed person and that when there is a change of government you put in your resignation and then the new government decided whether you want to stay or not, to avoid the charade that we've seen with the public service commission of the 4 hard core UDPs that were there just to undermine the government. We have amended the constitution so that everybody knows that you come and go with the government that appointed you."
Belize Wants Your Donations For Saint Vincent
On Friday we told you about the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on the island of St. Vincent. That eruption which occurred on April 9, 2021, has caused heavy ashfall, wreaked widespread destruction to property, and caused a lasting disruption to the island's way of life.
Over the weekend experts warned that the volcano had entered an explosive eruptive phase, one that may continue over the next few days and weeks, with subsequent explosions expected to be of a similar or larger magnitude than the first.
And that's exactly what happened this morning when another large eruption occurred. According to NEMO, the islands' disaster agency, the explosion has quote: "...caused the dome to collapse, sending pyroclastic flows along the valleys on the island's eastern and western corridors."
It's an event that has caused massive evacuations with over 18% of the population displaced and 3% having to hold up in shelters.
There are also major concerns over access to potable water.
And tonight the Government of Belize is making an appeal to its people, asking them to give as generously as possible during St. Vincent's time of great need. Persons wishing to donate monies may do so through the Belize Red Cross.
SVG APPEAL
On Friday we told you about the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on the island of St. Vincent. That eruption which occurred on April 9, 2021, has caused heavy ashfall, wreaked widespread destruction to property, and caused a lasting disruption to the island's way of life.
Over the weekend experts warned that the volcano had entered an explosive eruptive phase, one that may continue over the next few days and weeks, with subsequent explosions expected to be of a similar or larger magnitude than the first.
It's an event that has caused massive evacuations with over 18% of the population displaced and 3% having to hold up in shelters.
There are also major concerns over access to potable water.
And tonight the Government of Belize is making an appeal to its people, asking them to give as generously as possible during St. Vincent's time of great need. Persons wishing to donate monies may do so through the Belize Red Cross.
