Union Leaders Say Talks Were Calm, But Not Everyone’s Happy

With a twenty-one-day notice before the Belize National Teachers’ Union is set to strike, union leaders say their latest sit-down with the government felt different, in a good way. Following Tuesday’s negotiations, P.S.U. President Dean Flowers and B.N.T.U. President Nadia Caliz expressed cautious optimism, calling the meeting one of the least heated in recent memory. As details of the discussion begin to surface, so does pushback from union members and the wider public. Some are questioning whether the outcome truly reflects the demands on the ground, and whether enough progress was made to call off the looming strike.

 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union

“I think in terms of us have been here before, it had to do with the ten percent salary cut and the economic impact it had, not only on our members, but the wider Belizean community. So, those meetings were very tough, in my view, tougher than the meetings we had today. The actions taken three or four years ago had far reaching implications that we are still wheeling from and recovering today. And today we were able to demonstrate to the government that dah nuh only three increments we lose mih breda, you have to compound that. We demonstrated to them that one single public officer at the age of twenty would have lost ninety thousand dollars over his or her career.”

 

Nadia Caliz, President, Belize National Teachers Union

“They have agreed for us sit down every year to look at inflation and based on that formula we will be adjusting salaries. We don’t have to be on the streets lobbying, advocating for an increase. That is what is different this time around.”