Tomorrow, retired public officers and teachers will go back to Belmopan like it's 1995 all over again. In November of that year, they were demanding no wage cuts or increment freezes from the Esquivel administration. But he did freeze their wages from 1995 to 1997, and, in exchange, he gave the teachers and public officers 480,000 shares in BTL. Two and a half decades later, those monies, plus interest have added up to quite a tidy sum, in the millions of dollars. But, it is controlled by the Public Sector Workers' Trust - which, many of the public sector workers from that era now want dismantled so they can get their money while they're still alive.
So, tomorrow in Belmopan, to coincide with the budget debate, they are having a demonstration in front of the National Assembly building. Former PSU president Hubert Enriquez is one of the lead organizers, and he's now organizing against his own former union and in support of the government which has said the trust should be wound up and the monies distributed.
He stopped by our office today to tell us what to expect tomorrow.:
Hubert Enriquez, Former Public Officer
"Even after the government has said that they wanted to terminate the trust, we have not seen much action on the ground. And what we see though is the fact that the Public Sector Workers Trust, they continue to operate business as usual and so there is much concern that if continue the way it is right now that very shortly there will be no funds left and those persons who are entitled to benefit won't get their benefits and so beneficiaries decided that they are going to go on this demonstration tomorrow to plea to the authorities to look at the case, because what have aggravated the matter is the fact that recently the unions got their increments. This matter has to do with increments that were frozen way back 27 years ago 1995-1997 and so we are extremely disappointed that having gone through a process 27 years ago they don't see the need to settle this matter and pay people their increments what they are due."
Jules Vasquez
"What sort of turnout are you all expecting tomorrow, in terms of will you all be able to mount an effective protest?"
Hubert Enriquez, Former Public Officer
"Well whatever happens tomorrow we will be happy, because we know that many of the beneficiaries who have passed away actually and many of whom indicated that they are not that well. So if we get say 100 people to come tomorrow we will be please with that although we are expecting a little more."
Jules Vasquez
"It was really about that you all deserved a just reward and a just return for the sacrifice that you all were being forced to make. More than 25 years later, you all still have not given your just return. How much of a thorn or a stone in your shoe or a thorn in your side is this issue?"
Hubert Enriquez, Former Public Officer
"It is a big thorn and the longer it goes, the more frustrating for those persons who went through this increment freeze year ago and I think that a part of the frustration is the lack of concern by the unions on the matter, because they are supposed to be the persons to look after the interest of workers. They are representing us, we were representing them at that time and so we would have thought that by now this matter would have been settled, because really and truly it's a plain and simple matter. The money is there, people are complaining - pay them their money."
Jules Vasquez
"How much money is left in the trust at this point."
Hubert Enriquez, Former Public Officer
"We don't know at all. There is a lack of transparency."
Jules Vasquez
"The same people who cried out for transparency."
Hubert Enriquez, Former Public Officer
"That is why we need this matter settled as urgent."
They start to assemble at 9:00 am tomorrow at the Belmopan Civic Centre.
