At the top of the news, we told you the major changes coming to the proposed regulations for October 1st: Instead of every business and mode of public transport requiring a vaccine care of a negative PCR test - now those will only be required at government buildings.
And while majority of the public - those who use the buses everyday or who shop at supermarkets - won't be as, the public officers will still have to face the brunt of the regulation. And they say they weren't even a part of the public consultation!
The PSU sent out a press release this morning expressing its concerns at not being invited to the discussion table and added that in dialoguing with the NTUCB, it seems like nobody from the labor force was consulted. This was a slap in the face for the PSU president since the union is a stakeholder in the executive branch of the government. Today the president, Dean Flowers, told us what he expects from GOB going forward.
Dean Flowers, President, PSU
"The consultation that the Attorney General spoke about on Open Your Eyes certainly did not include the public service union of Belize, did not include the labor sector and certainly did not include the general public. So we're dumbfounded by the comments that there has been consultation with stakeholders and the community because we are unaware of such consultation."
"This legislation will affect public officers and it is important that we aim to strike a balance with the government to show that when these regulations are implemented and imposed that public officers are in fact afforded an opportunity to comply. So in essence what we're asking for is for the rapid test or the PCR test should be made available free of cost because we want to make sure that at all times each and every citizen is either fully vaccinate or free from the COVID 19virus then it is important that we not only make available free of cost the vaccine, which is currently the case, but that we give an equal opportunity to those individual and those public officers who have reservation against the vaccine because whenever it is that they must produce a test, a hindrance of the test by having a cost attached to it does not create a semblance of balance and you put people's obs at risk during a period in which people are struggling financially as a result of the 10% cut that was implemented earlier this year."
But will the government heed his words? Well, while Flowers admitted that he feels as though the government has wronged them in the past, he hopes that they can reach a balance.
Dean Flowers, President, PSU
"I wouldn't want to comment on how they see or value labor, I think we've spoke extensively in the past that we believe yes we have disrespected by certain comments, yes we have been disrespected by certain actions and we believe that by continuing to say to the government that we want to be heard and we can only hope and trust we will be heard and be given the opportunity to speak on behalf of who we represent."
"We believe they have a duty to listen to what we're saying. As I stated before, there is a lot of discontent within the public service as it relates to the proposed regulations. This is not the kind of environment in which any administration would want to be whereby there is a lot of disunity. It is in the government's best interest to see how they can bring people together rather than push a narrative that simply creates division and can lead to chaos. We're hoping that by putting out our position that look, people concerns needed to be heard and addressed in a fair and reputable manner that in fact yes they will do the right thing and see how best we can ensure they fulfil their objectives and at the same time provide public officers with a cost free alternative to the vaccine."
