7 News Belize

Unions Say They Were Disrespected
posted (January 28, 2013)
Tomorrow at 9:00 am in Belmopan, the teachers' union with support from the Public Service Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers will stage a mass protest. It's been in the making for weeks - and today the union leaders made the media rounds to crystallize their public stance. We caught them at a press conference in Belize City. Teachers Union President Luke Palacio led the charge:..

Luke Palacio, President BNTU
"The Belize National Teachers Union has the most organize, the most powerful labor movement in this country will be demonstrating in Belmopan tomorrow to show that we are not satisfied with the disrespect that has been shown to the three unions negotiating with the Government of Belize. We want the public support; we want them to understand that this fight is not about more money in the pockets of teachers only. We are negotiating for all person paid from the public purse, meaning the nurses, BDF, police and any other persons who is paid from the public purse. We are going to have this demonstration tomorrow, it's a peaceful protest. We again are saying that for those who will join us we want no political slogan; no slandering, no name calling and any other organization that is prepared to lend us their support again remember the focus must be on the Collective Bargaining Agreement."

And the union leaders say the protest is an important means of gaining leverage in ongoing talks with government - they say this because the PM has reached out to them in the past week:

Luke Palacio, President BNTU
"After the Prime Minister heard that the teachers are mobilizing, the unions are mobilizing - let us see if we can silence them. That is after the fact. We already have our plan and again like I stress the point that it is a peaceful demonstration. We are not going to create any problems to anybody besides sending a message loud and clear that we believe and we know that we can get the salary adjustment."

Things came to this point because negotiations broke down earlier this month - and the unions felt disrespected:

Dylan Reneau, President NTUCB
"The unions need to send a clear signal and as brother Luke clearly stated in his presentation that we are just saying that we cannot continue to negotiate in that form of fashion. It will definitely lead to a situation where we have an impasse and will go to more stringent actions. I think the unions are in train to ensure that they put out a face out there to show that they do not like the disrespect."

Jose Castellanos, President APSSM
"We feel that the other side was very insisting - in saying to us that every point of negotiations is not for discussion - not on the table - financially impossible - down the road without tangible indicators and measures and hence forth we had no other option but to take the appropriate steps we have done in terms of trying to get some concessions through this other means."

Luke Palacio, President BNTU
"Low and behold on the 10th of January the lead Minister for the government side came to say 'no, I just came from cabinet meeting, no salary adjustment. This is the end of this discussion. We are asking you to understand that this is the end of this discussion and that you can bring back that particular proposals on the salary adjustment 2-3 years' time.' We decided that we are not going to have that. We are prepared to show you where you can make some cost cutting; we can show you where you can reduce wastage. We are able to show you where you can increase revenue, only to be told 'you can show us all of those things but you won't get a salary adjustment.' That is disrespect - that is what we called disrespect. We need to bring down some sort of pressure to ensure that the government understands that you are not discussing, not negotiating with a group of persons who are only being unreasonable as you it or who are beggars as they would like to say. The bottom line is we know that we deserve our salary adjustment. We are not taking this sitting down because we are not being unreasonable. The bottom line is that this is a bread and butter issue."

Bread and butter in a society where for almost half the population neither bread nor butter is an entitlement:

Jules Vasquez
"43% of the country is poor and 16% unemployed. How is it morally justified to ask for a 30% wage increase when you all receive an annual increment; I am saying that our country is in the grips of a social crisis."

Dylan Reneau, President NTUCB
"What we are saying from our angle is that the middle class and even those just above the poverty line are now being pulled into this hole and we are saying that we are not going to go down that hole."

Jose Castellanos, President APSSM
"One of the issues is the issue of social conscience - people are saying that unions are very radical - they ask for what they want. Other seems to be saying that you have a pie and the pie is getting smaller and smaller. Let's put this in context; unions have waited for 10 years. The last Collective Agreement was concluded in 2001; all the unions are requesting is what is owed to them in terms of loss in purchasing power which is killing us."

Luke Palacio, President BNTU
"Our poverty rate of course is at some 40% plus. Now what you will do; you won't give the teachers and the other public officers' salary adjustment but you will decide that you can pay people for doing nothing - whatever the sum is. That is because you want to keep those people poor. If those people were working and had a dignified way of life you would not be talking about trying to do social programs to try and alleviate the poverty from these individuals."

They're asking Government to increase its 350 million dollar wage bill by 250 million over three years - and say indicators are in their favour:

Dylan Reneau, President NTUCB
"We know that there are positive things that will assist us in ensuring that this comes to a conclusion. The fact that we have positive growth between 3% and 7% as well as the positive inclinations we've heard about the super bond renegotiations - those are two positive things that we believe will enhance our arguments ensuring that we get that salary increase."

And they are determined to get it - by bringing the pressure tomorrow:

Luke Palacio, President BNTU
"There is nothing to determine success or failure because the idea of tomorrow's demonstration is for us to register our disapproval, our dissatisfaction. We expect the 10 branches of the Belize National Teachers Union to bring out their teachers in numbers and we have again been informed that there are other organizations that will join us. We definitely know that we will have over 2,000 teachers out there tomorrow."

Tomorrow's protest starts at 9:00am from the Belmopan Civic Center with a parade leading to a rally on the stairs of National Assembly.

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