Government Departments Face Sweeping 25% Budget Cuts

A proposed twenty-five percent cut to government department budgets could significantly affect the public service, but the union representing public officers says it had no seat at the table. Reports indicate that the Briceño administration plans to redirect the savings towards its cost-of-living program. Public Service Union President Dean Flowers says the PSU should have been consulted before the government moved forward with a decision of this magnitude. He calls the union’s exclusion disheartening, particularly because public officers could feel the impact firsthand.

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“The Public service Union has not been consulted or was not consulted in relation to this mandatory twenty-five percent reduction on all monthly budget allocations. We heard about it on the airwave yesterday morning. It is disheartening to say the least, because I think that as partners with the government as partners that want to see the government excel, and succeed and provide the relief it says it wants to give to the Belizean people, we are a major stakeholder in this business. I believe it is important, similar like what was done in 2020, 2021, 2022, where there were similar conversations with the joint unions on how we could enhance revenues, how we could save and how these policy decisions can ultimately affect public service. Those types of conversations did occur. Unfortunately, this new decision by the Cabinet on this twenty-five percent mandatory cut, we have no idea about it, how it will work. We have a general ideas of course as has been expressed by the members of the public of how it could affect the type of public service we render and offer to the Belizean people. I guess from through March we will see how all of that unfolds.”

 

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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