So that's how the joint unions' protest went at Memorial Park, but, today, to try and follow COVID regs, while also showing street muscle, different branches of the PSU and the BNTU went to different locations - like a hydra headed monster with its tentacles coming at the Briceno administration from all sides.
Launching Site #2 was the Yarborough Basketball Court - Daniel Ortiz was there:
This morning, teachers and public officers from the Belmopan, Belize City, and San Ignacio Branches of the PSU and BNTU arrived at Yarborough Basketball Court as another staging ground to show their collective might.
We saw about 3 bus-full of public servants proudly sporting their yellow and green union shirts. And once again, the message was the same: they reject the 10% pay cut. But, if it must be done, they are demanding good governance as the price.
These trade unionists say that the only way to truly put a stop to mismanagement and corruption in public life, which they believe to have contributed significantly to the country's 4-billion-dollar debt, is to empower the oversight bodies to jail elected politicians whenever they're caught abusing the public's trust.
Dean Flowers - 1st VP, Public Service Union
"We want to walk with our government, and we definitely want to help in rescuing [the nation from] the economic crisis that it is in. However, before we contribute anything, there must be the strengthening of our governing institution to safeguard against the corrupt practices that have been plaguing us for the past 40 years. And we want to make it clear. The Barrow Administration did not plunge Belize into this crisis. It is the Barrow Administration, the Musa Administration, the Esquivel Administration, the Price Administration. And now, the Briceno Administration is about to complicate it further. This is not about politics; this is about country."
At the rally on the Yarborough Court, the leadership briefly discussed a list of demands that the unions have prepared for the government of the day.
Dean Flowers
"Priority points relating to the strike action, written commitment, and full implementation of UNCAC. And that means Mr. Prime Minister, the funding of these agencies that will be charged with ensuring that these laws are enacted, implemented, and instituted. It cannot be that we will continue simply accepting the drafting of legislation without the strengthening of the institutions. And so, any savings that are being made, any cut that is being made, we expect that this will be used to strengthen the Integrity Commission, to make them independent, to jail politicians and public officials who are guilty of corruption. We want to see a strengthening also of the Director of Public Prosecution's office. We want to see a strengthening of the Auditor General's Office. We want to see a strengthening of the Accountant General's office."
"It's about guaranteeing us that that they will be implemented, and that people will be held accountable. Asset recovery and disposal, we must address the way the government disposes of its assets, and for those who have raped this country, including those delinquent taxpayers. We want our lands back."
"We're pleased of course to report that the Auditor General has produced her first draft of the Whistleblowers Act. The Prime Minister was asking for 2 years. The AG produced it in one week, and we have been guaranteed that tomorrow, Wednesday, we will get the first draft of the Illicit Enrichment Act."
"Government of Belize must continue dialoguing with the Joint Unions regarding salary cuts. You cannot arbitrarily and unilaterally take away our economic rights, sir. We have a duty to be consulted, and we need to discuss possible compensation for making that sacrifice."
"Ministers must relinquish allowances. If we are to sacrifice, we're barely keeping our heads above water. If you remove that 10%, you will drown us. And if we're gonna drown, we will drown together."
