2026 Budget Debate Rekindles Wage Bill Concerns

Everyone knows government’s seven‑hundred‑million‑dollar wage bill is bursting at the seams. The big question now is whether the latest salary adjustment for teachers and public officers is adding even more pressure to an already unsustainable tab. As announced during this week’s budget debate, a four‑percent raise kicks in on April first, coming right after last year’s four‑point‑five‑percent bump. So how much strain will this put on the public purse? And is it fair to pin the wage bill problem on frontline workers? We put those questions to BNTU President Nadia Caliz.

 

Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union

“The BNTU will not take responsibility of government having an increase in expenditure. First of all, government is hiring new people. They have their contract workers. They have no projects they are engaged in. So the wage bill will always go up until government finds a way to curtail certain things. But education is not the answer to that. You have a growing population. These students need to be educated. So what you are going to do, give us a hundred students in a classroom with one teacher because you want to cut the cost? That is not where you make the cuts. You make the cuts in other areas.”

 

Nadia Caliz Secures Uncontested Second Term

 

The leadership race at the Belize National Teachers Union didn’t turn out to be much of a race at all, and that’s making its own statement. As the BNTU gathers in Belize City for its annual national convention, members were expected to vote today for their next president. But no one stepped forward to challenge current leader Nadia Caliz. With the seat uncontested, Caliz will automatically continue at the helm for another two years. And while some may see that as just a procedural formality, others say it reflects something bigger: a union that’s choosing stability, continuity, and a steady hand during a period of ongoing national education challenges. We caught up with Caliz inside the Civic Center, where she shared what this second term means for her, and for the teachers she represents.

 

Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union

“We were suppose to be electing a new president, but nobody submitted applications, only me. So I will be endorsed today for another two years. The BNTU convention brings together its membership annually and today is history. We have far more members attending the BNTU convention this year than they did last year in Punta Gorda and I am telling you that we have two thousand members this year. That is a fact. Never have you seen this. So, we are happy for that. If you look at our theme, we are standing resilient, building bridges and united for transformative change. This is a part of transformative change. Today we are looking at union business. Our finances, the direction we want to the union to go and we open to members forum for them to share with us how they feel and whatever challenges they have, because this is where decisions are made on behalf of the union.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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