‘United We Bargain, Divided We Beg’: UB Union Urges Action on Salary Delay

Tensions are rising at the University of Belize (UB) as the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union (UBFSU) issued a pointed public demand for the immediate implementation of a long-promised 9% salary increase.

The union’s statement calls out both the Government of Belize and UB’s leadership for what it describes as “delayed justice” and a failure to uphold commitments to university employees.

The salary adjustment, originally scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2025, was confirmed in an April 10 bulletin from UB’s Human Resources Department. The bulletin acknowledged a delay in implementation due to financial planning constraints but assured staff that the increase would be retroactively applied and fully processed by the end of the fiscal year on August 1, 2025.

However, the UBFSU remains unconvinced. In its press release, the union criticised the administration’s assurances as “insincere” and accused both UB leadership and the government of using subvention negotiations as an excuse to delay action.

“After ten years of patience, we will no longer accept delays, excuses, or passed responsibilities,” the release stated.

Key Demands from UBFSU:

To the Government of Belize: Immediate commitment to increased subvention in the April 26 budget to support the 9% salary increase.

To UB Leadership: Take full responsibility for securing adequate funding and stop deflecting accountability.

To Union Members: Prepare for mobilisation if concrete commitments are not made.

The union says that UB employees have not received a meaningful salary adjustment in over a decade, despite rising inflation and increased workloads. It also highlighted that Belize invests only 0.4% of its GDP in tertiary education, less than half the 1% average seen in similarly sized nations.

UBFSU is calling for a meeting on Thursday, July 10, involving the Ministers of Education and Finance, union leaders, and UB Board representatives to align on a path forward. “After unrealised promises and press releases, we will accept nothing less than concrete commitments,” the union said.

Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Brother

Matyas Carlos Bo has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for stabbing his brother to death during a drunken argument in Bella Vista Village last year.

The plea was entered on Monday before Justice Antoinette Moore. He is now scheduled to be sentenced on August 5th. Bo had initially been charged with murder but accepted a reduced charge for the killing of John Bo on September 25, 2024.

The brothers were drinking with three other men at John Bo’s home when an argument broke out. Both were reportedly intoxicated. During the confrontation, it is reported that Matyas pulled a pocketknife and stabbed John in the chest. John picked up a piece of cement block to defend himself, but before a second stab could be inflicted, one of the men intervened and stopped Matyas.

John Bo later died from his injuries.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Javier Chan.

Scam Callers Targeting ISCR-NICH Projects

The Institute for Social and Cultural Research (ISCR) of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) is warning the public and project stakeholders of scam phone calls attempting to gain unauthorised access to online meetings or information related to ISCR-NICH’s activities.

According to a public notice issued this week, unknown individuals have been contacting stakeholders while falsely claiming to represent ISCR-NICH. In some cases, the callers request confirmation codes or attempt to extract personal or organisational details.

“DO NOT engage with any unknown caller asking you for a confirmation code to enter an online meeting. DO NOT disclose any personal, organisational, or other related information,” ISCR-NICH said. “Going forward, ISCR-NICH personnel will be utilising our institutional phone number and email during this period.”

Exit mobile version