Tonight, fear is gripping immigrant communities in Ireland, including Belizeans, after a disturbing outbreak of racially motivated violence. What began as a peaceful vigil in support of a young assault victim quickly spiraled into chaos over the weekend. Following the arraignment of two teenage boys of Romanian descent, anti-foreigner vigilantes hijacked the demonstration, unleashing a string of violent attacks. Homes were vandalized with fireworks, bricks, and even homemade bombs. Some buildings were burned to the ground, targeting neighborhoods with large ethnic minority populations. Among those affected are Belizeans living in Ireland. We spoke with Melvin Flores, a Belizean who’s called Ireland home for the past twenty years, to get a firsthand account of what’s happening on the ground.
Melvin Flores
Melvin Flores, Belizean Living in Ireland
“ I’m not afraid. I’m concerned because, I’m still an active member in the media. I’m a media researcher, so I spend a lot of time researching stuff. But for me to go out there and document what’s happening, I’m putting myself at risk because I’m gonna be targeted as one of those other people. So it has gotten so bad that immigrants were here, they have to had put, have to be placing on their doors we are Filipinos or we are not, or we are not Romanians or we are English, so that their house is not gonna be attacked. The population of immigrants living in Northern Ireland who have made space their home. It’s only about, it’s only about three point four percent of the immigrants here. So we are the extreme minority. So it’s a mixed place that there’s there’s people from China, which is approximately 9nine thousand five hundred people. People from other parts of mixed ethnic groups, which is from fourteen thousand four hundred people of Indian descendants. About eleven thousand and Belize lies on the case of the maybe zero point something percent. But we are here. Unfortunately, that because this perpetration has been done, committed recently, it’s about foreigners. So do we lie we in the category here, like here I have a, I have my wife, I have my son, and it’s like they make you vigilant. They make you want to very vigilant of where you are. What do you say? Because of the repercussion of what could happen if you’re in the wrong place.”
Two public officers are speaking out, claiming that the system meant to measure their work is being used to punish them instead. On Monday, Gerald Henry, who still works in the public service, and retired officer Doreth Obermayer held a quiet protest outside the Ministry of Public Service in Belmopan. They say the rules and performance review system are being misused by department heads to target employees they don’t like, and they believe many others are quietly facing the same treatment. They’re calling it a “weaponization” of the Public Service Regulations. But the Office of the Auditor General, where Henry currently works, says that’s not the case. In a statement, the office said both Henry and Obermayer were flagged because they didn’t agree to follow the professional code of ethics, something required for audit work. Because of that, they weren’t given assignments or performance reviews. The office added that Henry has now been placed on an audit team, hoping this will help improve his evaluation going forward.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The Government of Belize, which employs more than 15,000 public officers, requires that workers be evaluated twice a year. These performance reviews help decide who gets raises, promotions, and other rewards. But now, a senior employee at the Office of the Auditor General is speaking out, claiming the system isn’t fair. He says he received a score of zero on his most recent evaluation and believes the process is flawed. Under public service rules, it’s up to CEOs and department heads to make sure these reviews are done properly. But this latest complaint is raising serious questions about whether the system is being used fairly, or being misused to punish certain employees.
Gerald Henry
Gerald Henry, Public Officer
“We were instructed back in 2022 not to do any work in the Office of the Auditor General, absolutely nothing in October 2022. I can do nothing perfectly. Now our performance appraisal is based on the task that you do, the task assigned to us and how well we do that. That makes sense, so if you assign me a task to do nothing and I do nothing perfectly then my appraisal should reflect that, which is ten. Both myself and my colleague and another colleague of hours, we got zeros. But the thing is that the appraisal scale goes from one to ten, so how can I get a zero if the grade starts from one, and what motivates that individual, who happens to be the auditor general to give us that grade, because she was the supervisor who gave us that grade.”
The Office of the Auditor General is pushing back after Monday’s protest, saying Gerald Henry and retired officer Doreth Obermayer were flagged as “audit risks.” Why? According to the office, they refused to follow the professional code of ethics required for auditors. Because of that, previous management decided they couldn’t be trusted with audit assignments and since they weren’t doing audit work, they weren’t eligible for performance reviews either. And there’s more. Earlier this year, Henry applied for a promotion to become Supervisor of Audit. But his application was turned down.
Gerald Henry
“I believe that a lot of public officers are suffering in silence. I spoke to a lot of public officers and they told me that they are going through the same thing. I think that anyone who sacrificed to get their master’s degree, because it is not easy, a masters from UWI is not easy. So if I had to sacrifice, all that I went through was to achieve that. The reason I did that was to get promoted, elevated in the job. I didn’t do it for any other reason on that.”
While the union talks with the government are a separate issue, there’s a new twist; the government now wants to link salary increases and increments to performance reviews. But retired public officer Doreth Obermayer isn’t buying it. She says supervisors often use the appraisal system to punish workers they don’t like. Obermayer joined Gerald Henry in Monday’s protest to make that point loud and clear.
Doreth Obermayer
Doreth Obermayer, Retired Public Officer
“We are starting with our office and extending the invitation to other public officers who feel that injustices have been done to them, be it by the Public Service Regulations, whereby it is being used as a weapon against other public officer. So if you are not in cohort with your supervisor then the first thing they say to you, your PR is going to pay for that. Then there are other injustices as it relates to promotions where you would have completed all the necessary requirements. You have the qualification, the years of service, but because you are not in support of the injustice or the wrong things that have been done then your promotion is thrown out, put aside or not even considered.”
Henry and Obermayer say they will continue to picket until they believe their concerns have been adequately addressed. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
All charges have been dropped from the eleven teachers involved in a protest staged in Dangriga last week. The teachers, all members of the Belize National Teachers’ Union, were accused of disrupting the flow of traffic during a motor blockade. The situation escalated when authorities arrived at the scene and attempted to remove the teachers from the road. All charges, however, have since been dropped, much to the relief of B.N.T.U. President, Nadia Caliz. This morning in Belmopan, Police escorted the Public Service Union to the Ministry of Labour, where P.S.U. President Dean Flowers delivered a declaration of a trade dispute. While there, Caliz expressed her gratitude to the department and those who aided in getting the charges dropped, but reaffirmed her commitment to the unions’ collective mission- securing an eight-point-five salary increase for teachers and other public officers. Here’s what she had to say.
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union
“I appreciate the fact that the police department is doing the right thing because the evidence is showing that they aggravated the situation. So I’m very happy for that. I also need to thank the lawyers, those who volunteered, who came forward ton for working with us. Pitts and Elrington, Mr. Saldivar, Senator Dennison, everybody that came forward to assist the BNTU, I must say. Thank you. Thank you very much for that.”
Britney Gordon
”And what are the next steps in terms of demonstrating for the union? I know you can’t exactly get into the details, but what is the plan moving forward?”
Nadia Caliz
“Lemme just say that the BNTU has its eyes on the prize, eight point five and that government needs to realize that we ain’t playing no game. And you are dragging out the negotiations and I’m watching all little dance that you’re doing and we are dancing with you because right now we want to see if you are genuine about the people, genuine about workers. You know, that is key. But right now where we sit, where the BNTU sits, you are trying to drag it up because school di close and yo think we no got no leverage. Teachers smart. Worry about reopening. So dreg it out. Worry about reopening.”
Eleven teachers who were facing charges after a protest last week in Dangriga are now officially in the clear. On Friday, B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz announced that all charges have been dropped. The teachers had been accused of disrupting traffic near the town’s entrance during a demonstration on Wednesday morning. But what changed? According to Caliz, a key conversation between her and Commissioner of Police Doctor Richard Rosado helped shift the outcome. We caught up with ComPol Rosado earlier today, and he explained what led to his decision to let the matter go.
Richard Rosado
Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police
“I believe the meeting was productive, it was fruitful. We recognize that the plight that the teachers and unions and the public officers are going through, but our discussion mainly centers about doing their protest within the context of the law and ensuring that we have an open dialogue moving forward. The unions have committed to having an open dialogue. We also recognize that the situation in Dangriga, as highlighted by the union, was an anomaly in respect to all other demonstrations across the country. For the most part, the unions have been peaceful in terms of doing that demonstration and we welcome that and we ask them to continue to dialogue with us.”
Reporter
“So that was the consideration made when you decided to drop these charges?”
Dr. Richard Rosado
“Well the union brought to us additional evidential material for us to consider inour deliberation to withdraw the charges.”
We asked Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa whether he, or any of his Cabinet colleagues, had a hand in the decision to drop charges against the teachers involved in recent protests. His response? A firm no. Musa also urged protestors to think about the wider impact of their actions, especially how they affect everyday commuters trying to get to work or school.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“No, no, no and I think you all have this impression that ministers and the prime minister gets involved in charges of individuals, which you should never do that. Maybe that happened under the last administration, but not with us. I am aware that the commissioner of Police had a meeting with the teachers to discuss what had taken place in terms of the road blockage in Dangriga. All other locations the police had allowed the protestors, a reasonable amount of time to block the road. We have to understand the police are not here to be against the teachers. They are on the same team. But they do have the duty to the rest of society, rest of commuters who have to get to work, who have deadlines to meet. So we have to bear that in mind. And so, while yes the protest will have that success and the impact, I think we have to be considerate, as well. I think that was the line of communication the ComPol wanted to open along with the teachers to say listen, we can work along with you and allow you a reasonable time to protest, but let us not inconvenience for two hours, because that one took two hours, there were instances where some people were assaulting the officers.”
As the KHMHA Workers Union prepares to sit down with the government over its pension proposal, we caught up with the Minister of Public Service to get his take. While the union is demanding a clear plan and full pension coverage for long-serving employees, Minister Henry Charles Usher says the path forward isn’t as simple as it seems. Still, he believes there’s a way to resolve the issue. News Five has more from Belmopan.
Henry Charles-Usher
Henry Charles-Usher, Minister of Public Service
“Whenever an entity becomes a statutory body there is always a process for the employees to determine whether they remain in the government service or become employees of that statutory institution. When the KHMH became a statutory authority, the employees were given the opportunity to remain a government employee or to be employed by KHMH. There are some employed by KHMH and some still employed by the government even though they work as at a statutory authority. So it is not straightforward to make everybody public officers or make everybody employees of KHMH. We have to look at each case on a case-by-case basis and move forward. But there is a way to resolve this matter. Certainly, we have to be able to sit in a responsive and respectful way to come up with a solution.”
Today, teachers across Belize once again marched through the streets, sending a clear message to the government: they’re not backing down in their fight for fair wages. The protest is part of a larger movement that began in April, when the Belize National Teachers’ Union, along with the Public Service Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers, called for an eight-point-five percent salary increase for public officers and educators. But the government turned down the request, arguing that the country’s wage bill is already too high. Still, the unions aren’t giving up. They say this is about standing up for what’s right and they’re determined to keep pushing until their voices are heard. In tonight’s Five-Point Breakdown, we’ll take a closer look at what’s fueling the unions’ frustration and why they believe now is the time for action. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the full story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The fight is far from over. For nearly two months, the Public Service Union of Belize, the Belize National Teachers’ Union, and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers have been united in their demand for an 8.5% salary increase for public officers and teachers. From peaceful protests and organized sickouts to bold road blockades, the unions have shown they’re willing to take their fight to the streets, and they’re not backing down. According to Dean Flowers, President of the Public Service Union, this isn’t just about numbers on a paycheck. It’s about fairness, dignity, and long-overdue recognition for the people who keep the country running.
Workers Demand Fairer Wages
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“ The government came to us in 2020. We acceded an increment. We also gave up on some allowances because several officers were impacted where the allowances were concerned, where the gratuities was concerned and so on. In 2021 when the Briceno administration took over in November of 2020 when there was election, they also came to us and they said, you know what we need to do? We need to take some additional last thirty measures. Okay, that now included not only, the continued freezing of increments, but they also went one step further to say, we need to also cut your salaries. And so they introduced a ten percent cut.”
The government offered a 3% raise in response to union demands for fairer wages, but unions quickly rejected it, calling for a more serious commitment. Their frustration grew after it was revealed that government CEOs and the Cabinet Secretary received a 15% salary increase, boosting their pay from $76,000 to $88,000 a year. Nadia Caliz, President of the Belize National Teachers’ Union, said that raise was a tipping point, one that made it clear teachers and public officers could no longer stay silent.
What Triggered The Unions’ Call To Action
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union
“And when are telling me and this country that our teachers are holding the students hostage, you have been holding these students hostage. You have not provided what you needed to provide for them. You have not provided what you needed to provide for them. Where we applaud the fact that some of them can now get a meal and buying. Teachers no longer have to take out their pocket to give them that, my teachers are suffering because they have been doing a part of your responsibility as a government providing those resources, preparing those schools, and all of those things. So, we, at the BNTU, we don’t take that lightly, and I’ll show you another thing. You are willing to give up millions with the Key Chapel Project. Millions”
Healthcare workers at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital are joining the call for fair treatment. The KHMHA Workers Union, led by President Andrew Baird, is demanding that the government provide pensions for eligible employees, specifically those hired since 2000, who were promised benefits that never materialized. While a retirement package was introduced in 2017 for new hires, long-serving staff were left out. Baird says it’s time for equal consideration, especially given the daily financial struggles many healthcare workers face.
Employees Pay Out of Pocket to Do Their Jobs
Andrew Baird
Andrew Baird, President, KHMHA Workers Union
“What you’re not hearing from many nurses or doctors when there’s a shortage of supplies and equipment in KHMH, we take money out of our pocket as well to buy tapes, we have to buy our own stethoscopes, our own blood pressure equipment and the list goes on. Sometimes doctors have to bring their own operating kits to the institution because Karl Heusner does not have any, but we do not base our plight ongoing into our pocket. We are basing our plight on what we deserve and what should be rightfully us, but we do make those sacrifices.”
The Government of Belize recently partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank to review and modernize how public service workers are paid. The 2024 draft report, led by Senior Consultant Malcolm Green, flagged major issues in how employment and payroll are managed. The report urges the government to reform salary and pension systems to ensure fair pay, while also recommending better budgeting and control to manage employment costs effectively.
Government Advised to Make Equitable Pay a Reality
Dean Flowers
“The issue here is not, may not necessarily be that we don’t have money, but we have a spending problem. We have an unchecked spending problem, we have an accountability problem. We’re not giving proper accounts of how we’re spending. We’re not giving proper, proper account of how we are giving away concessions. Are we quantifying those concessions and really appreciating the dollar value that we’re losing as a result of those concessions versus the investment that is being made.”
The negotiation between the unions and the government is ongoing. They have made it clear that until they feel that they have been fairly compensated for the services they provide, the government will hear their cries.
Unions Tell Government To “Get It Right”
Nadia Caliz
“Every single where somebody stop you and give you their story. What is happening in the workplace, and most of these are government entities and I didn’t realize so many people were suffering in this country. So many and you know, they just need to get it right.”
According to Prime Minister John Briceño, Belize’s current national wage bill, stands at around seven hundred million dollars, accounting for nearly fifty cents of every dollar in the national budget. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The Belize Police Department is bracing for possible disruptions in Belize City. Authorities are on high alert tonight amid concerns that the Belize National Teachers Union may escalate their protest action by blocking key entry points into Belize City. With the union moving into a new phase of their industrial action, police have been instructed to monitor three major bridges, Belcan Bridge, Chetumal Street Bridge, and Burdon Canal Bridge, every hour for any unusual activity. Officers are expected to report their findings in real time to ensure the free flow of traffic and public safety. While no blockades have been confirmed, the heightened vigilance signals just how seriously law enforcement is taking the potential threat. Many will remember a similar moment in recent history. On the morning of May seventeenth, 2021, the unions made a bold move, successfully cutting off traffic into Belize City during the busy rush hour. The result? A massive traffic jam that paralyzed the city for hours. That action sent a powerful message and demonstrated the unions’ ability to mobilize and disrupt. With current talks heating up and the police on high alert, many are wondering, could history repeat itself?
The call for pensions is growing louder. Today, workers from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital took to the streets of Belize City, demanding the government honor their years of service with a proper retirement plan. The K.H.M.H. Workers Union says employees who served between 2000 and 2018, some for over two decades, are set to retire without a single cent in pension. That’s because no pension scheme was ever put in place when the hospital became a statutory body twenty-five years ago. Joined by members of the Belize National Teachers Union and the Public Service Union, the workers marched under one clear message: “Give Us Our Pension.” Here’s Paul Lopez with that story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Hospital workers in Belize City marched in protest, calling for a long-overdue pension plan. Staff from Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital say it’s time their years of service are recognized with retirement benefits. Lydia Blake, who’s worked there since 1995, supports the cause wholeheartedly, she knows just how vital this fight is for her colleagues.
Lydia Blake
Lydia Blake, Employee, KHMH
“Despite no matter what, no matter, who we get the job done because the public nuh have no where else to go but Karl Heusner. We have been down this road. WE have been through different governments. We have been through different board and managements. Enough, we have proven ourselves through Covid. They brought the COVID unit to KHMH surpass that so that gives us the right to be entitled to our pension. Case closed.”
Paul Lopez
“Why you think this time will be different?”
Lydia Blake
“Because we are taking it to the very end. To the very end, because the staff are getting old, sick and they are dying.”
Frustration is boiling over at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where longtime employees say they’ve worked for decades without proper retirement security. With no pension plan in place, they’re left to rely only on severance pay. Union President Andrew Baird says that’s exactly why workers are demanding change.
Andrew Baird
Andrew Baird, President, KHMHA Workers Union
“For those who were working at the KHMH prior to 2000 when it the statutory body was formulated they were considered to be government workers. So when they retire the government will pay them a pension and KHMH should reimburse the government for he period they work at KHMH. Then you have those who came under the authority when the statutory body was formulated in 2000. At that time either the government or KHMH should have formulated a pension scheme or a provident fund. Neither was done at the time for he formation of the statutory body.”
This changed in 2017, when the hospital’s authority established a mandatory providence fund or a retirement saving plan for new workers. But according to President Baird this does not adequately serve workers employed between 2000 and 2017. And, after years of negotiation with the Government of Belize the issue is unresolved, and those employees are now on the edge.
Andrew Baird
“If there is no pension then all they take home is severance which is pittance of what they value. So we believe they deserve. We are the frontline workers for this nation when it comes to medical service. We are national referral hospital for the country of Belize.”
With chants of “Gimme mi pension,” hospital workers marched through Belize City, joined by members of the Public Service Union and the Belize National Teachers Union. Their route, from the hospital to the Mahogany Street roundabout and back, sent a strong, united message. But tensions rose after the Labour Department warned that any strike disrupting hospital services without notifying the Health Minister could lead to jail time. Union President Andrew Beard dismissed the warning, calling it misguided, while BNTU President Nadia Caliz boldly responded, “Bring it on.”
Andrew Baird
“I don’t see how a demonstration means to stop work. I don’t see how we say we go slow means we stop work completely. So, I beg to differ with the LCC and we are guided by our legal team as well.”
Nadia Caliz
Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teacher’s Union
“Too many government agencies are becoming statutory bodies and workers are losing their rights. They need to bring to the attention of statutory bodies that these are the things you are ging to lose so you remain if you want to or we pay off. But you don’t find that.”
The KHMH Workers Union are scheduled to return to the mediation table with the Government of Belize on June fifth. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
As the Belize National Teachers’ Union continues to push for an eight-point-five percent salary adjustment, the government is now facing added pressure from another front. The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers’ Union is demanding that retiring staff receive pensions, a benefit they say is long overdue. The union criticized the government for stalling negotiations and announced plans to take industrial action. While some argue that KHMH workers may not qualify for pensions since the hospital isn’t fully government-run, the workers insist this fight is about more than money. They say it’s about fairness and recognizing their years of service to the nation. Today, we spoke with NTUCB Senator Glenfield Dennison, who expressed support for the workers and their call for justice.
Glenfield Dennison
Glenfield Dennison, N.T.U.C.B. Senator
“That’s a a difficult one. And I’ll tell you, I don’t, I don’t envy the position that the Prime Minister is in, but the people only clammer for what they think is just so, whether you don’t like it or not, whetherwe don’t like it or not, people have assessed. What they think is just, and the KHMHA Workers Union, they know and feel that getting the pension is something that they deserve. They’re comparing themselves to those in the government service. They’re the National Referral Hospital. Those people are working extremely hard doing work of several people in some serious conditions. You heard me say in the Senate that air conditionings are not working. They have cat scan machine, but no, contrast. And so, they’re trying to make, do. I don’t think those are the people that you want to pick a fight with.”
