‘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.