And while Minister Chebat met with the CWU this morning, GOB's negotiating team met with the Joint Unions this afternoon. That meeting is still ongoing but this morning we caught up with the PM to ask him about his expectations. He explained that the GDP has grown more than they could have hoped, but is it enough to reinstate the unions' full pay and increments? Here's what PM Briceno had to say:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I believe that we're going to be having a long meeting, we're going to share with them the numbers, and then the consultation starts and we'll continue as to how we'll move forward. I know the unions, and rightly so, are looking how they cold get back, if not all, at least a portion of the 10% that we had to cut because we did not have the money so if we can we will hope to do that, we're partners in this together, the success of the PUP government has simple because the unions and the public service and teachers they all cooperated for us to be able to get where we are."
Reporter:
"How are those numbers looking?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, they are much better than the IMF predicted, way better. The IMF predicted that we were going to have about 2% growth in GDP and the latest numbers it seems that we may be as much as 15%. Remember in 2020 the economy contracted by over 16, almost 17%, it contracted and in one year our government managed to turn things around, by working hard and getting the economy going, giving the confidence to people and coming up with a plan and that is why we have the success."
