Union Leaders Reject Government 4% Increase Proposal

Leaders of the joint unions met today in Belize City to discuss the government’s recent salary adjustment proposal. They will now go back to their membership to put the matter to a vote. But, after four hours of meeting today, President of the Belize National Teachers Union, Nadia Caliz confirmed with News 5 that the leaders in today’s meeting outrightly rejected the proposal. She referred to it as a disrespect and a move backward from the government’s initial proposal.

 

Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU

“It is downright disrespectful and conning. You are offering us four percent with one hand and on the other hand you are talking about pension which the rate is five percent annually. You have given us nothing, four and five when you do the math, subtract, it is an additional one percent. We believe that they need to consider the workers of this country and the fact that they told us we can meet for clarity. We cant event negotiate and yet you are talking about we can meet in good faith. We don’t call that good faith, we call that down right disrespect. And we live in a  democratic country, we are not tolerating that or accepting it any at all.”

Paul Lopez

“That is to say it is an outright rejection?”

Nadia Caliz

“Yes, it is an outright rejection. That is why the councils have to meet today. We cannot allow the government to disrespect our workers like that, no.”