Finally, a C.B.A. is Signed with the Joint Unions

It was a big day for the Joint Unions Negotiating Team, as it signed a long overdue collective bargaining agreement with the Government of Belize.  It was a lengthy process that began in late 2008 and, sixteen years later, was finally completed today.  The Belize National Teachers Union, the Public Service Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers were all represented this afternoon at the House of Culture here in Belize City, where signatures were affixed to a new C.B.A. that has the approval of all parties.  But was the signing of the collective bargaining agreement merely ceremonial, since the time allotted for the existing agreement expires in August?  Following the event, Prime Minister John Briceno spoke on his administration’s will to complete the process within the period that it has been in office.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We are a government committed to doing what is right, that we are a government that’s committed to our workers and that we made certain commitments to the union when we needed help when we just got into government and, lastly, it is the right thing to do.  That is why we managed to finally come to, bringing this agreement to an end which is, unfortunately, the next two months the time period will end and we’ll have to start a new cycle.”

 

Reporter

“But sir, you are also the prime minister who complains almost in every budget presentation about the onerous wage bill, it’s at like six hundred million now.  Where are we going with this, as in when will you take steps to curtail that?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“That has not changed and in my remarks I mentioned it and it’s something that has to be addressed.  We are addressing it right now when it comes to the issue of the pensions, it is unsustainable and we’ve had a number of discussions with the unions and the unions have already agreed in principle that the pension as it stands right now is unsustainable and that we are coming up with an agreement as to where’s going to be the cutoff date as to will stay on on the present system and who will come on on the new system.”