And while that will remain a matter of bitter contention - there's one thing the Union and the Government have no argument on. That's the re-instatement of full salaries to public officers.
A circular sent out yesterday from the Ministry of Finance says that Cabinet has approved re-instatement of the 10% salary reduction implemented in June of 2021.
For the teachers and public officers - who have suffered a loss of wages and loss of increments - this is an article of faith, non negotiable.
And, the Minister of the public service confirmed it today - while also confirming that regular work hours will resume:
Henry Charles Usher - Minister of Public Service
"Last year, when we had to announce that salary adjustment, it was difficult, a really difficult conversation to have with our joint union team, explaining to them the reason why we needed to have those savings with the salary adjustment. At the time, we said that it would be for a maximum of 3 years. So this year, when we were doing our budget preparation, I was happy that the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister, made the announcement to us in Cabinet that he believes that this year we would be able to give back that salary adjustment two years earlier. So it was a big, big relief to us, especially myself as a minister of public service, to hear that announcement, and it was made during the budget presentations. I can see it in the public officers who have had to sacrifice this past year. I just want to thank them again. I really appreciate that they were part of this process I know it was difficult, but I am glad that we were able to get back that salary adjustment earlier than we expected. Of course, with the salary adjustment returning, we're also returning to regular working hours, so the working always will be returned to normal. And the work week, I believe that there were some departments where they cut down on the work week. With that work schedule, people also returned to normal."
But, how well can government afford re-instating the salaries? Since promising to reinstate full pay in February - world fuel and wheat prices have soared - and government is now absorbing increases in fuel prices and subsidizing bakers to keep bread prices down.
Henry Charles Usher - Minister of Public Service
"Whenever you look at the finances of the country, nothing operates in a vacuum. Everything has an effect on it on the next side. So, when we had those discussions for the fuel capping and for not increasing the price of the 16-ounce bread, it was a long, very tumultuous discussion in Cabinet on various sides. Why? Because we did not want it at all to affect the public officers getting back their salary. So, we always made sure that whatever decisions that we made that would not affect the July 1st announcement, the salary would be returned. That was the number one priority, but we had to make sure that we held down the price of diesel and the price of regular fuel. People are complaining about the price of the premium, but we just made a decision. Listen, we can't keep all of them down. It would be too much of a financial impact on the country, and there is an option. If you don't want to put premium in your vehicle, you can put in regular. So, we figured that that would be a compromise that would be accepted. None of this will impact the July 1st announcement and the July 1st return of the salary. But of course, we have to continue to monitor external events that have an impact on our country. We are certainly importing our inflation here. It's not inflation of prices in Belize. It's an inflation outside that we actually have to implement here because of what's happening, especially in the United States."
