PM Briceño Says Union Demands Amounts to $64 Million

Prime Minister John Briceño is urging caution as pressure mounts from unions demanding an 8.5% salary increase. Speaking to reporters after the ceremonial opening of Parliament this morning, the PM made it clear: the government’s budget isn’t limitless. “There’s only one pie,” Briceño said, explaining that meeting the unions’ request would add a staggering sixty-three million dollars to the national wage bill. He warned that giving in without careful planning could force the government to slash key social programs. While the unions say they’re fighting for fairness, the PM says it’s a balancing act—and one that could come with tough trade-offs.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I think it is their right to make those demands and ask of the government. It is our responsibility to meet with them and see what we could afford. If we can afford that we will give it to them. If we can give them more we will gladly give it to them, but we have to look at the gambit of what we have. The pie is one size. It is not bigger and it is growing slowly but the demands are growing even larger. The ministry of finance made a quick estimate of what they are asking, that will add another sixty-three million dollars to the wage bill. The wage bill is over seven hundred million dollars. It gives us time to think that if we do that recklessly then we may have to cut social programs or other things we want to do, so it is a balancing act from our end. So we sit down and try to talk to them to find a common ground that can meet some of their objectives but at the same time for us to be a responsible government.”