Public Service Minister Weighs in on Tax Service Employees Outcry

Last night, we brought you the growing concerns from employees at the Belize Tax Service over the government’s plan to transition the department into a semi-autonomous revenue authority by December. Public Service Union President Dean Flowers says the move feels like a slight to staff, who’ve been left out of key conversations. While the government insists the change will boost efficiency and revenue collection, the union is demanding more transparency. Today, Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher weighed in, offering his perspective on the controversy and what the transition really means for public officers.

 

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“The options that are open to them right now, as was explained last night, is that they can remain with the newly formed such semi-autonomous revenue authority. They can remain in the public service and be placed somewhere in the wider public service, or I didn’t know that this was an option that they would be able to leave their job, but I don’t see that as being one, but certainly it is something that we have to be very cognizant of. We have to work with the employees as the Minister of Public Service, I have to make sure that the public officers are treated fairly that they are their options. Everything is explained to them, and that’s something that we are doing. I’m glad that Union was able to have that meeting with them yesterday. And I think that there are questions that have come up and these questions need to be answered.”

 

Reporter

“Their issue is that they would have to reapply. They already have a job and they would have to reapply, and there’s a chance that they don’t get accepted into that job. And I put into the wider public service, they’re saying, this is unfair. And it destroys their dignity.”

 

Henry Charles Usher

“I don’t know that they, I wouldn’t go so far as seeing that it’s a matter of destroying their dignity. But in terms of the question as to whether the interview process would be a part of them staying with the new revenue authority, that’s something that the revenue authority would have to determine. They were hired by the Ministry of Public Service. Their terms and conditions of service are determined by the Public Service Commission. Currently. If these employees choose to remain in the public service, then of course they would then be true. We need to find a new place for them within the public service, but if they go and start to work with the new revenue authority, they are choosing to work under the terms and conditions of that authority, which may include an interview process. I haven’t seen that part of it as yet. I haven’t really looked at what the revenue authority is going to do. My goal right now is to make sure that the public officers are treated fairly, that they have all of the information, and that those that remain in the public service, we can find somewhere for them to go. I believe there are about 226 employees under the police staff service. So we have to make sure that we can find jobs for them in the event that they want to remain in the public service.”