The Minister of Labour, Florencio Marin Jr, is urging patience as negotiations continue between the government and the Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT). The Belize National Teachers’ Union is demanding an 8.5 percent salary adjustment. While teachers have voiced their demands, Minister Marin said that resolving the matter will take time and careful dialogue, not a swift decision.
“I think you’ve heard the Prime Minister saying that he’s nominated a team that [is] gonna actively engage with them for discussions to see how they could come to a solution to this process,” he said. “So, I think we just have to wait out how that consultation would work with the teachers and with the team from Cabinet to bring about a solution to that.”
The labour minister made it clear that his ministry will only step in if necessary, once the initial talks have run their course. “I don’t want to jump ahead of that consultation process. So let’s find out what results that will lead to and then from there our ministry would participate where necessary,” he explained.
The BNTU has issued its 21-day strike notice to the Briceño administration, signalling their readiness to take industrial action if negotiations with the government fail.