Government and Unions Meet to Talk Public Service Fixes

The Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT) and representatives from major public sector unions sat down Monday to continue talks on how to improve the public service.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, brought together the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU), the Public Service Union (PSU), and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (ASPSSM). 

On the table were plans to better manage workers in the public service and updates on a modernisation project backed by the Inter-American Development Bank. That project is meant to make government work faster, be more accountable, and deliver better service to the public.

The meeting also reviewed reports on how to collect revenue more efficiently and how to cut costs without hurting services. 

Union representatives raised concerns affecting their memberships, with both sides engaging in constructive dialogue on practical approaches to address issues and explore solutions.

The government press release stated that the meeting reaffirmed its “commitment to collaboration with Belize’s labour unions”.