Unions Unite Over Salary Demands

The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) called a press conference this morning in the Lion’s Den in Belize City.  It is a major move as the umbrella union organization has brought together all the unions to ventilate their issues with the Briceno Administration.  The issues coming out of this morning’s presser goes beyond the eight-point five percent salary increase that the joint unions are currently demanding.  Here is Reporter Jaleeza Roberts with a recap of the event.

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: The mother of all unions, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, NTUCB, hosted a press conference today bringing together its partners to ventilate their issues and demands in one voice. In recent weeks, the respective unions have been making their media rounds and have been presenting their demands to the public. Today, however the cries of the unions were strengthened when President Ella Waight brought all the unions to the table. With varying issues, the bottom line for all of them came down to wanting more money. For the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union, they want the government to increase their annual subsidy to $10 million. This means that the government would have to find an additional $2.4 million, but that is not the concern of the UB FSU, as indicated by its president, Julianne Pasos. 

Julianne Pasos, UBFSU President: “Increasing the subvention helps UB fulfill its national mandate in education, research and development. So we say the time for promises has passed. We call on the Government of Belize to demonstrate accountability, honor the commitments, invest in our people.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: Meanwhile, over at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority the Workers Union is asking for a final resolution to their pension plan. On May 28th, the union issued a notice to the hospital CEO demanding that the pension negotiations proceed. If not, they would take strike action. Union President Andrew Baird spoke of a recent meeting with the government and hospital authorities for which the proposed 4 % pension coverage has been rejected.  

Andrew Baird, President, KHMH Union: “From day one, from town clock was a watch our union has been saying we want our pensions for our employees and we want it now. On June 5th the government first thing they came and they did they said listen you’re not negotiating anymore with us, we’re negotiating with the authority. The government is only giving financial support to what is agreed upon by the authority. We sat down and we dialogued for about an hour. They put a position of what would be considered the employer portion of the provident fund. We have a retirement fund for new workers from 2018 where it is mandatory, their terms and conditions make it mandatory for them to contribute 3% and the employer contribute 4%. So they decided for the services that we’re claiming form 2001 to 2018 or even present for some workers that they will compensate us with a 4% considering that to be the employer portion. We make it clear that we have pre discussion in meetings with our members based on the February 17th meeting with the government where they were discussing a probably 4% and we discussed that with our members and it was clear from our membership it is not going to be acceptable. A written letter of what was discussed and what was put to the table by the government or the authority would have brought forward to us by five o’clock on June 5th. 5:10 we did receive a letter signed by the chairman of the board of Karl Heusner which went back all the way to February 17th where they stated that our union in the February 17th meeting they tabled 4% to us and we agreed to 4% and that we also countered a 7%. Totally misleading.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: As for the joint unions, the impasse continues where the Briceño administration is offering a phased salary increase, starting with the four percent in October. The PSU, BNTU and APSSM have all rejected the proposal and are saying that it’s all or nothing. President of the APSSM, Sharon Fraser, spoke on the genesis of the 8.5%.  

Sharon Fraser, President, APSSM: “Just after election  in fact as far as I know the Cabinet was not even formed, CEOs were not even appointed yet and in fact there was a circular giving increases to CEOs and the Cabinet secretary. Okay, people have been saying so why didn’t you ask to pull it back ? No, they said they deserved it. One CEO said “Oh I deserve it. I didn’t ask for it but I deserve it.” So at the end of the day…. went on national tv and told the whole world this right ? “I didn’t ask. I never asked.” Well we’re asking. And we deserve it and it’s for that reason that we would have met with the subcommittee of ministers that form a part of JUNT to speak to them about a salary adjustment not an increase. Because we’re in deficit as it is, when you look at inflation, when you look at the cost of living, the prices have been increased and now there is a new war that is looking to be brewing that will definitely affect what happens to us here.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: Meanwhile president of the CWU, Leonora Flowers, presented on the plight of Stevedore’s and pending ESAT. According to Flowers, this is one of several issues that the union will be fighting in coming weeks. 

Leonora Flowers, President, CWU: “We are still waiting for the ESAT, the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal, to come back to us even after four months, so many months after the elections and they have not yet sat down to respond to the stevedores what’s happening with our case that is before them. So we are sounding out the call again, the ESAT. There are several other units and one particular unit, I will not call name, but that unit is on the top of our list today because they’re treating a member distastefully and I just want that employer to know that we will not sit by and let that continue. What you’re doing to our member, we slated a meeting yesterday, they pushed it off. They asked us if we could be there today. We can’t be there because we are here. This takes priority for now but we will get to that unit. So put your house in order. You know who you are. Put your house in order.  Take our member and give our union the respect that we deserve as workers of this country.”

Jaleesa Roberts, Love News: The NTUCB conference lasted for over two hours and wrapped up just before 12:30 this afternoon. Jaleeza Roberts, Love News.