[Belize] Government will provide full salaries and pensions for grant-aided school staff

In Belize, the government has announced that it will pay full salaries and pensions to staff at the country’s grant-aided schools, Love FM reports.

The government met with unions to agree on the CBA, however, one of the main points of contention was Belize National Teachers’ Union’s (BNTU) proposal 22. Under this scheme, the government will now provide full salaries and service benefits to the teachers and support staff at all grant-aided schools. 

In addition, teachers from these institutions reportedly receive a one hundred per cent pension payout from the government rather than the previous 70 per cent. 

According to government estimates, the move will increase the wage bill by $68 million dollars over the next five years. During a press conference, Prime Minister Briceno stated that it would take major changes and adjustments to the public pension scheme for the public purse to sustain the wage hike 

Hon. John Briceño - Prime Minister of Belize - said, “In my remarks I mentioned to it and it’s something that has to be addressed and so we are addressing it right now when it comes to the issue of the pensions that is unsustainable. And we’ve had a number of discussions with the unions and the unions have already agreed in principle that the pension as it stands right now is unsustainable and that we are coming up with an agreement as to where is going to be the cut off date as to who will stay on the present system and who will come on on the new system.”

Responding to a reporter, the Prime Minister said, “The new system of pensions yes. We must recognize the tremendous work that Minister Fonseca did as the Minister of Education because when he started look at his budget and did some reallocations within the budget to be able to help to be able to pay these pensions that was the right thing, that it was not fair to these teachers that were retiring but because they were in a grant aided school they would not, in secondary and tertiary institutions, were unable to get their pensions.”

He reportedly added that, though it would take some convincing, there was a need to restructure the current pension scheme.

Source: Love FM 

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Belize, the government has announced that it will pay full salaries and pensions to staff at the country’s grant-aided schools, Love FM reports.

The government met with unions to agree on the CBA, however, one of the main points of contention was Belize National Teachers’ Union’s (BNTU) proposal 22. Under this scheme, the government will now provide full salaries and service benefits to the teachers and support staff at all grant-aided schools. 

In addition, teachers from these institutions reportedly receive a one hundred per cent pension payout from the government rather than the previous 70 per cent. 

According to government estimates, the move will increase the wage bill by $68 million dollars over the next five years. During a press conference, Prime Minister Briceno stated that it would take major changes and adjustments to the public pension scheme for the public purse to sustain the wage hike 

Hon. John Briceño - Prime Minister of Belize - said, “In my remarks I mentioned to it and it’s something that has to be addressed and so we are addressing it right now when it comes to the issue of the pensions that is unsustainable. And we’ve had a number of discussions with the unions and the unions have already agreed in principle that the pension as it stands right now is unsustainable and that we are coming up with an agreement as to where is going to be the cut off date as to who will stay on the present system and who will come on on the new system.”

Responding to a reporter, the Prime Minister said, “The new system of pensions yes. We must recognize the tremendous work that Minister Fonseca did as the Minister of Education because when he started look at his budget and did some reallocations within the budget to be able to help to be able to pay these pensions that was the right thing, that it was not fair to these teachers that were retiring but because they were in a grant aided school they would not, in secondary and tertiary institutions, were unable to get their pensions.”

He reportedly added that, though it would take some convincing, there was a need to restructure the current pension scheme.

Source: Love FM 

(Quotes via original reporting)