This all follows a high-level meeting on May thirteenth between union leaders and government officials under the Joint Union Negotiating Team. We spoke with the Minister of Public Service, Henry Charles Usher, who weighed in on the situation. When asked whether the government is concerned about a potential strike, he acknowledged the stakes but emphasized the administration’s commitment to dialogue and compromise.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
“I think they did issue a notice last week Wednesday. A week has passed. No I believe that was all part of their they had said that they would have certain steps that they would take. They would have the sit down, they would be going to level two, level three. But we hope that we don’t get to level three. We hope that with these proposals, that these proposals are accepted, that the membership of the PSU, the membership of the BNTU and all of the broader teachers, public officers, that they can see that these are reasonable proposal. These are proposals that are sustainable. These are proposals that have come out of a level of discourse, a respectful level of discourse around the table. And as I always say it’s always better to talk to each other than at each other.”
Reporter
“No, the fundamental of the proposal, as I understand, it’s three and a half percent in October of this year, and then another unnamed amount at the start of fiscal, of the next fiscal. Is that the heart of the proposal?”
Henry Charles
“So you’re speaking to only one item on the seventh point, One of seven.”
Reporter
“Just look at the money.”
Henry Charles Usher
“Yeah, of course. No, it’s a three percent salary adjustment in starting in October and then in April or the start of the next fiscal year. The unfreezing of one of the increments that were frozen during the covid time. So remember that there were two increments that were frozen. The unfreezing of one of those will be done or is being proposed to be done at the next fiscal year starting of course April first, 2026. And then the remaining conversation has to do with the 5.5% since three. Is being done in October and the second increment. So that is where further discussion is needed. And of course, you have to look at the performance of the economy. You have to look at the ability to be able to implement those salary adjustments going forward. But the idea, and what we discussed around the table is that it will be done in three, in a three-year time frame.”
In mid-April, public frustration boiled over after it was revealed that Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie and government CEOs received salary increases just days after the 2025 general election. Leslie’s new salary is ninety-six thousand dollars a year, while CEOs are now earning eighty-eight thousand dollars. The news sparked backlash from groups like the Public Service Union and the Belize National Teachers’ Union, who’ve been pushing for raises for years. In response, the BNTU staged a protest in Belmopan, demanding an eight-and-a-half percent salary adjustment for teachers. With public pressure mounting, the government quickly formed a negotiating team to meet with union leaders. When asked whether the situation could’ve been handled more carefully, Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher shared his thoughts on the fallout.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
“Hindsight is 2020, and I’m not on the morning quarterback. I won’t go back and say, we should have done this or should have done that differently. But what I can say is that if it was as simple as the CEO’s salaries, then the one item on the on the agenda when we met around the table, we’ll remove the salary, increase the CEOs, and that should have brought us back to a level playing field. So certainly that was not the intention of government. When we met with the unions, we met with them because we wanted to have a sustainable way in terms of looking at the salaries in the public service salaries to public officers and teachers. And that’s why another bullet point is the bullet point that speaks about the cost of living adjustment at looking at the consumer price index to see how it is that we can have a formula to look at salaries every year. That looks at the CPI that looks at the cost of living adjustment maybe every year, every two years, whatever is agreed upon so that we don’t get to a situation where you have areas of the public service or teachers or anybody saying, oh, we want this increase. We want that increase. We know that an increase is coming because it’s based on a formula. Included in that discussion was looking at other areas that we can properly compensate our public officers, perhaps looking at housing initiatives, looking at different areas that they can benefit from. We can’t always meet a numerical figure, but we can always try to work with our public officer, with our teachers, with all of the public service to see how we can properly compensate, how we can have what’s the way Minister Fika put it is that it’s a quality of living situation. We want a quality of life for our public officers, for our teachers. That is one that is respectable, one that is dignified. One that they can make sure that they can take care of all of their needs, and that is what we have to look at. On the flip side of that is productivity. We have to make sure that our teachers are public officers, remain as productive as they are right now, and to improve upon the efficiency of service, improve upon the productivity in all sectors.”
The government says its growing wage bill is putting pressure on the national budget, making it difficult to meet the salary demands of all public workers. But the Belize National Teachers’ Union isn’t backing down, arguing that it’s the government’s duty to manage spending wisely and ensure fair wages for all Belizeans. This morning, we asked the Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher how the government plans to tackle the issue and whether it will provide more transparency about who’s on the public payroll, a key demand from the unions.
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
“That is always a priority. As a matter of fact, in previous discussions with the joint union team we established some committees, the Revenue Enhancement Committee, the Cost Saving committee, and the Pension Reform committee. Those committee are committees that are standing, meaning that they are operating earlier around and they are advising and making recommendations to the government as to how we can improve revenue collection, improve new areas of revenue improve on the cost saving initiatives that the government has put in place. One of those is to look at the wage bill, to see areas where we can improve in terms of. Perhaps we have to do audits of the different ministries, departments to see if there are workers to fill all of those posts, et cetera. That’s what’s called a desk audit. So all of that is ongoing. And while that is happening, we’re also looking at the comprehensive review of the salary structure in the public service. That is a project also that we’re working in collaboration with the IDB to bring in consultants to work with the Minister of Public Service. The Minister of Finance, of course, the Minister of Education. And the other departments necessary to be able to implement that comprehensive salary review. At the end, we hope to be able to have a public service that not only is affordable. That is one that is, the wage bill is something that we can certainly budget for, but also we want to make sure we have the best and the brightest in these departments. And that means we have to properly compensate them and we have to look at what the private sector is paying to certain people to see, to make sure that we at least remain competitive in the public service.”
On Monday, a group of former commissioners from the People’s Constitution Commission broke its silence, raising serious red flags about the final draft of a report that was handed over to Prime Minister John Briceño. In a strongly worded letter to the PM, the group outlines a series of concerns — from poor record-keeping and questionable procedures, to what they call a misuse of the ‘consensus principle,’ which they argue has no legal basis. Even more troubling, they claim that not all commissioners had access to the full report and that many never approved it. Since then, Dr. Louis Zabaneh, the current minister in charge of constitutional affairs, has responded to the backlash. And earlier today, his predecessor, Henry Charles Usher, also weighed in. He didn’t hold back, saying the commissioners who are now speaking out simply didn’t understand what their role was in the process.
Henry Charles Usher
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
“First, I’m happy to see that there was a report prepared with a hundred and sixty-seven recommendations. It was delivered to the prime minister and now that, with the amendment that we are attempting to get through to increase the time, we have to look at those one hundred and sixty-seven recommendations. Remember, this initiative called the People’s Constitution Commission was to hear the views of the people, was to hear the views of the Belizean people at home and abroad because it actually had an opportunity to reach out to the diaspora. It wasn’t necessarily to hear the views of the commissioners. And that’s what they were told from the very beginning, “your views, your personal opinions, you have to put aside. You are merely a conduit for the people to talk to the government. The views, the opinions, the passion projects of the commissioners, were not supposed to be in that report. If they wanted it to be in the report, they should have had somebody in the public raise it at one of the consultations. But at the last minute, or at any part of the process, your job was not to say, “Oh, I want this in the report. I think this should be in the report.” No. If it was not raised in any of the consultations with the people, then it should not be in the report.”
So, how does Usher feel about the National Women’s Commission and the University of Belize also signing the letter sent to Prime Minister Briceño?
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service
“No, I don’t take issue with them, I just think that they, perhaps, misunderstood what they were there to do. That they were not there to say what is the position of the National Women’s Commission. They were not there to say what is the position of the national university. They were there to say we went to so many consultations countrywide, including an online version with the diaspora, and this is what they are saying, and this is what is in the report. Now, in terms of their procedural issues, I can’t comment on that because I wasn’t a part of it in terms of how whatever got into the report got there because of where it came from. Like I said, there were over six thousand points that they used and they condensed it to a hundred and sixty-seven recommendations, and those are the recommendations that are in the report.”
On Wednesday, we brought you the Ministry of Transport’s bold vision to unify the country’s public transit system under a single national bus company. But that vision has hit a speed bump. The Belize Bus Owners Association is pushing back, hard. Their concern? That this proposal could drive independent operators off the road and threaten the livelihoods of dozens of families who rely on the industry. The association is calling for fairness and transparency as the government moves forward. In response, Transport Minister Doctor Louis Zabaneh told News Five that the opposition is not as widespread as it may seem. He claims only a small group of operators are resisting the idea and emphasized that the plan is still in its early stages. But when we reached out today for an update, C.E.O. of the Ministry of Transport, Chester Williams, declined to comment, saying he could not disclose any further details at this time.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport
“The minister is the one dealing directly with the bus issue meeting with the different bus owners. Yes, I do attend the meetings with him, but I leave that for him to be able to address. I don’t think I am in a place to be able to comment on that because he’s a lead in that aspect and that’s a policy issue. So that’s a matter for the minister. When he have decided exactly what route will go, then it is passed down to be as the CO to ensure that there’s execution in terms of what the policy of the minister is.” 9:40 So, what’s next for Belize’s bus system? That remains to be seen.”
But one thing is clear—the road to reform may be longer and bumpier than expected.
You may remember the alarming incident last year when two women narrowly escaped serious injury after parts of the Novelo’s Bus Terminal roof came crashing down. While the roof was quickly patched up, the scare exposed a much bigger issue—the terminal is in desperate need of full renovation. Well, change is finally on the horizon. Today, the government made a public commitment to revamping the heavily used terminal. C.E.O. of the Ministry of Transport, Chester Williams, toured the facility alongside Chief Transport Officer Leon Gentle and Deputy Transport Officer Peter Williams to assess the damage and discuss what improvements are coming. We caught up with the team during their walkthrough to find out what commuters can expect from the upcoming upgrades.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, C.E.O., Ministry of Transport
“From my tour of the terminal itself, we have seen a number of deficiencies things that we believe needs to be improved. One of the main concerns that people have is that when it rains, the terminals do take water, at least about three inches of water inside the terminal itself. And so they may be a need to bring in a contractor to look at it and see what, if anything can be done to raise the flooring. Perhaps maybe about three inches and that way the water will be able to slide out of the terminals as opposed to coming into the terminal. Again, the seating arrangement inside the terminal is certainly inadequate. We just have one metal thing on the chair that people sit on. I don’t think that it’s comfortable for anybody to, to sit on, and so that needs to be improved. There is nothing inside the terminal that tells the commuter the commuters what are the schedule of the buses. And so we’re looking at putting in screens in the terminals that will be able to depict the bus schedules of each of the different bus companies so that when you come to the terminal and you want and what time, what bus will leave, you can go to the screen just like when I go to on airport and the screen will tell you James will leave at the set time. BWOC will leave at the set time and that will be able to help people to schedule themselves more better. We have bathrooms where that women are using and the doors are broken. People can go and peep on them when they’re using the bathroom. It cannot work. These bathrooms are used by pregnant women on a daily basis. Who traverses the terminal. Again, we have to make sure the bathrooms are in a state of good hygiene. I am happy to see that the terminal supervisor, Ms. Hyde, she seems to be on top of her game. ’cause I can say that while the infrastructure may not be how we want it to be in terms of the cleanliness of the bathroom, it is extremely clean. So I can see that they’re doing well in terms of maintaining the cleanness of the bathroom. And so we will work with them to make sure that we can fix the problem that do exist. Again, the objective is to make sure we provide good quality service to and people.”
The Ministry of Transport has floated the idea of creating a single national bus company, but not everyone’s on board. The Belize Bus Owners Association is pushing back, saying the proposal could sideline the very operators who’ve kept the country moving under tough conditions. Transport Minister Doctor Louis Zabaneh and C.E.O. Chester Williams presented the plan to bus owners earlier this month. But just weeks later, the BBOA issued a public statement calling for fairness in the industry. They say their members have been struggling without access to key financial support and outlined four demands aimed at creating a more level playing field. The association believes that with the right support and policies, Belize’s bus industry can thrive long-term. However, Minister Zabaneh says he’s read the release and claims that many BBOA members don’t actually support the demands being made.
Louis Zabaneh
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport
“I read their release and the first thing I tried to find out was how many of the bus owners supported the release. After making some calls a number of the larger bus owners are not supporting the release, inf act they are willing to continue with the process we have laid out to revenue the proposal we have made. For those who did support the release, which is a minority we anticipated their would be some concerns. That is natural with something as transformational for them. We have a meeting scheduled for next Friday, the second meeting as we agreed to start to look at some of the details going forward. From what they proposed it is a plan that will still not resolve most of the issues we have. The reason being that the industry cannot attain economies of scale with thirty-one operators along our highway. That is a large number of operators in a very small country, relatively speaking.”
A Belize City café is under fire tonight after a routine payment issue spiraled into a national controversy. It all began when fifty-seven-year-old Allaire McDougal’s debit card was declined at Spoonaz Reggae Café, leaving her unable to cover a modest forty-eight-dollar bill. What followed was a chain of events that generated a strong public reaction, police involvement, a night in jail, and a court-ordered remand to the Belize Central Prison. But tonight, McDougal is free, and the café is issuing a public apology after facing a wave of backlash online. So, what really happened that Saturday afternoon? And who is Allaire McDougal? News Five’s Paul Lopez has the full story, including a look into McDougal’s complex past in the United States. Here’s that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A popular café in Belize City is doing some damage control tonight after a situation that didn’t sit well with the public. Spoonaz Reggae Café has issued a public apology after they called the police on a retired nurse who couldn’t pay her bill. It all happened on Saturday when fifty-seven-year-old Allaire McDougal stopped by the café, ordered some food and drinks, and ended up with a tab of forty-eight dollars. But when it came time to pay, her card was declined—and that’s when things took a turn.
Voice of: Allaire McDougal
Voice of: Allaire McDougal, Retired Nurse
“What I was charged with was intentionally trying to defraud a business. That sounds huge. It sounds like I was laundering money from some business, but it happened that I could not pay my twenty-four U.S. dollar bill. It was good, oxtail and rice and beans, fry plantain. I was referred there from a friend. Blueberry cheese scone, and a Mackeson. The chocolate Mackeson, I am hooked. As soon as this interview is done, I am not going to lie to you, that is what I am going to have.”
Staff at Spoonaz Reggae Café say they tried to work things out before calling the cops. According to them, Allaire McDougal’s debit card was declined not once, not twice, but three times because of insufficient funds. They say they spent about half an hour trying to sort it out with her, but when no solution came up, they decided to file a police report. McDougal, for her part, says this wasn’t the first time that day she ran into trouble. She told us she had a similar issue earlier at another restaurant in Belize City.
Allaire McDougal
Allaire McDougal
“Belize sometimes the systems are down and it is not as fluid in the states. I am kind of patient. I am patient as I can because I have lived in both places, not everything is perfect in Belize. So she says your card is declined, I said well I am going to have to do dishes. She says come back and take care of it. I go to Spoonaz, that is when they told me your card is declined for insufficient funds. When I leave there, there is a man that looks like a homeless man down the street he grabs me and he says you have to pay your bill. He has the tourism police waiting for me as I am going to Belize Bank to get the cash. She said you have to go with one of our people to get the cash. I said sure, him and I could go to Belize Bank.”
Paul Lopez
“When you went to sit down at Spoonaz, was it with the intent to pay and the understanding that you have that money on your account?”
Allaire McDougal
“Of course, of course.”
After her card was declined at Spoonaz Reggae Café, McDougal was detained by police, held overnight at the Queen Street Police Station, and later charged with obtaining services by deception. Unable to meet a five-hundred-dollar bail, she was remanded to the Belize Central Prison. But what happened next was a wave of public outrage. Social media lit up with criticism of the café’s handling of the situation, prompting Spoonaz to issue a public apology. In their statement, they expressed regret and clarified that their intention was never to criminalize hardship. With mounting pressure, the café dropped the charge, and McDougal was set free.
Allaire McDougal
“I understand from the gentlemen that she is apologetic and wants me to come to the restaurant. I don’t know if I am ready for that. As good as the oxtail was, we will have to come to the understanding that we will sit down and talk about what is this, what is going on.”
But according to McDougal, this isn’t about financial hardship. She says she gets money from the U.S. every month, but claims that whenever she goes out to eat, the funds mysteriously vanish from her account.
Paul Lopez
“How do you occur this occurrence taking place repeatedly at repeated establishments.”
Allaire McDougal
“I can’t and that is the only reason I am doing this interview. I think if I bring awareness to it more people will talk about it. I just want to thank everyone for their support, I think that in times likes these when there is a lot of confusion going on to support one another it says a lot about the human nature.”
Paul Lopez
“What do you say to people that maintain the few that you have visited these establishment with the intent to receive meals, services by deception.”
Allaire McDougal
“Let us just wait until all the investigation is done.”
McDougal, the retired nurse at the center of the Spoonaz Café controversy, has a history that’s both tragic and complex. According to a CBS News report, she once served time in a U.S. prison after attempting to drown her eight-year-old son in a swimming pool. Bystanders intervened and saved the child, and witnesses say they heard her shouting, ‘It is the end of the world, I have to let you go.’ A relative has since come forward, revealing that McDougal has been diagnosed with a mental illness and is not well. That same relative, and many others, have offered to pay her outstanding bill at Spoonaz Café, hoping to bring some peace to a situation that has clearly touched a nerve across the country. It’s a reminder that behind every headline, there’s a human story and sometimes, a cry for help. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez
Police are still trying to piece together what happened in the moments leading up to the death of thirty-year-old Selvin Sealy, a San Pedro resident who died shortly after being taken into custody. According to early reports, Sealy was arrested for allegedly trespassing and was restrained by officers due to what they described as aggressive behavior. But not long after his arrest, he was dead. A post-mortem has since ruled his death a homicide, confirming that he died from restraint asphyxia—a condition that occurs when someone is held in a way that prevents them from breathing properly. The news has left Sealy’s family devastated and searching for answers. His father, Selvin Sealy Senior, says his son had recently been released from prison and was dealing with mental health challenges, but insists he wasn’t violent and didn’t deserve the level of force used against him.
Selvin Sealy Sr.
Selvin Sealy Sr., Father of Deceased
“It’s the violence. I think he never had been charged with violent, just behavior. But never like violent. His history is not I probably the record I would have to go back, but not in terms of beating people up or, violent, beating somebody up or something like that. So I would try to recall, but I don’t recall anything that, so I think the force was a little bit excessive. Because if you have a bunch of police that hold you and arrest you, they have you in handcuff. There’s no reason for you. There’s some different thing that I heard. I want to get the videos that some other thing transpire in that process that the police had him. But I just want justice. I’m not pointing fingers, but my son died.”
Now, the family is calling for justice, as the investigation continues and the public demands accountability.
