No New Salary Increase for Library Service Employees

While many public officers were celebrating their new salary increase at the start of October, not everyone got to join the party. According to PSU President Dean Flowers, some officers, especially those on the five-dollar minimum wage scale, didn’t see the adjustment in their latest paycheck. Flowers says those officers should check in with their administrative and finance officers to find out what caused the delay. Also left out were employees of the National Library Service. Flowers explained that because the service was converted into a statutory board more than twenty years ago, those workers are no longer classified as public officers. But he argues they should be, and he’s making the case for why.

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service

“It’s a sad situation. That is only one group; companies registry, the Belize corporate and companies affairs. IMARBE, BAHA,  KHMH as you all know, they’re, they have their own history. None of these statutory bodies will enjoy this adjustment that we’ve lobbied and worked so hard for. And like I said, it will only get worse because their pension also is wiped out completely. In the case of those officers who would’ve reached out to us from the Belize library services. We have to design a strategy to engage a CBA for them. We’re trying our best to move swiftly on that given the sad news that we received today that they are now victim of these boneheaded political decisions which seek to strategize public services. And if not done properly the Belize tax services department and the employees they’re in will be in the same place. Because I keep saying fool is talking, but fool is not listening. And until such time that a clear economic analysis can be demonstrated that a statutory authority will grow three and fourfold to be able to sustain itself and sustain all the fringe benefits that they’re suggesting they will be able to give to these officers. If they’re unable to demonstrate that clearly and demonstrate the sectors from which they’ll get those revenues. It will simply mean again, and I will always repeat this, that public service will be affected.”