What will the teachers decide?

Teachers across Belize turned out this week for critical meetings held by their local branches of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) after tensions intensified over recent government salary decisions.

The meetings aimed to decide the union’s next steps amid growing frustration with the Briceño administration. The BNTU leadership used the opportunity to outline a formal list of demands, particularly in response to the recent salary increases granted to government chief executive officers and the Cabinet Secretary, immediately after general elections.

“We have been asking for what is rightfully ours for a long time,” said Coral Lord, President of the BNTU in the Belize District. “To hear now that one day after the election, the CEOs and Cab-Sec got an increase; that was something that was really disturbing to us.”

Despite the meetings, teachers were required to return to school immediately afterwards. A memorandum from the Ministry of Education instructed that “all schools are to remain open” and that “all teachers are expected to return to school immediately following the meeting.”

No official outcome from the union meetings has been released yet, but the BNTU says it is determined to hold the government accountable.