Earlier you heard from the PSU's first Vice President about the current state of play in labour relations as the PSU has launched industrial action against the government.
Well, government may not be able to match their industrial tactics which has started with a go slow - but the PUP as a political party can surely try to outmatch the PSU in a popularity contest.
As we have reported the PUP is doing that with an aggressive ad campaign, smearing the unions - especially the PSU and the APSSM. We asked the Vice President for his comments on it:
Dean Flowers - 1st VP, Public Service Union
"The advertisement, of course, speaks specifically to the leadership. And I want to say categorically to the listening public that under no circumstances can any one of the union leaders influence the kind of membership, when you look at the numbers, in the manner in which those ads attempt to discredit the leadership of the unions. They're personal. They're vile. They're divisive."
Reporter
"What about the clear implication that you have the private sector that has had to battle these same issues where, instead of pay cuts, you've had layoffs, you've had people being sent home, and then you have the Prime Minister presenting this picture that his government is really trying to make the best of a bad situation."
Dean Flowers
"It's a fair question or a fair concern from anyone, but what we want to say is that public sector spending is what drives this economy. The Barrow Administration did not grow the economy. They did not create an enabling environment for employment, and clearly, this new administration is struggling as well to do that, which means that public sector spending is what is currently - and what has been driving this country for over a decade. It means that if you tamper with public sector spending, you will cause more harm to the economy, and you'll cause more harm to the lives and livelihoods, not only of public officers but to all Belizeans. If it is that public sector spending is driving the economy, then isn't logical and common sense for us to know that all the small businesses, and especially every single individual in the informal sector."
"Those businesses are being sustained primarily by public sector spending. Why is it that despite the dire financial crisis that we're in, employment continues on a daily basis?"
"I can tell you that as we speak, these people are talking with 1 side of their mouths, and they're doing the total contrary. And what effectively they're doing is putting more strain on the Belizean public. So, we're dealing with a very hypocritical administration."
