Joint Union Not Happy with Briceno Administration

The Joint Unions are upset with the Briceno Administration and in particular with Prime Minister John Briceno. That is according to the President of the Public Service Union Dean Flowers. Flowers says that union leaders have been having a difficult time communicating with the Prime Minister on serious matters. 

Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union: “The joint union team is currently not in a good place with the Government of Belize primarily as a result of the continuous disrespect by the office of the Prime Minister and the government negotiating team or consultation team I don’t know how you want to refer to them. There are several outstanding matters that are yet to be addressed and resolved between the government and the joint union team which were on the table over a year and a half ago. The Office of the Prime Minister and the government’s consultation team continues to ignore the joint unions, continues to refuse to acknowledge receipt of communications from the joint unions. The joint union did recieve I believe a letter from the CEO in the Ministry of the Public Service but the joint unions have never written to the CEO in the Ministry of Public Service and so I don’t know what to make of that response because he responded acknowledging receipt of something that was never addressed to him and so we don’t know what to make of that but where the Office of the Prime Minister is concerned and where the office of the government team is concerned we are very concerned that for months now despite our good faith attempt to establish contact with the government that has not been acknowledged and so there is little that I can speak on as it relates to many of the outstanding issues that are yet to be addressed between the joint unions and the government including the long outstanding collective bargaining agreement which we would like to see closed as soon as possible. From my end and I speak as myself as the president of the Public Service Union this attitude of non responsiveness and non acknowledgment by the Office of the Prime Minister does not come to me as a surprise. This is one area that he has remained consistent since November 2020. Total disregard and total disrespect for the working class and for the unions in Belize and so for me it’s not a surprise because that has been his modus operandi and his attitude and behavior since November 2020.”