So withe government's revenue going to a third of what it needs just to cover its expenses, the Prime Minister is saying that the PSU is just being difficult to make what he calls a minimal sacrfice:
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"It is in that context that the GOB proposal, requiring the most minimal of sacrifices from those paid from the public purse, must be seen. All we are asking is that public officers and teachers give up increments for fiscal year 2020/2021. In the case of heads of departments and other senior public officers, they have reached the top of their scales and so they get no increments. Accordingly, they are being asked to give up half of their entertainment allowances. CEO's are to sacrifice five percent of their gratuity and a portion of their allowances. And all other contract officers are similarly to give up some gratuity and some allowances. Ministers have forgone one month's salary and 800 dollars monthly in allowances. Thus, the increment freeze group is, in dollar terms, being asked for the smallest amount of all."
"Let me concretized it, take the case of ministers: ministers of state gets something like $4,000 odd per month, senior ministers get more like $7,000 per month. The one month salary means that in the 2 categories let's say $4,000 and $7,000 is given up, and then both will give up $800 monthly for the rest of the year. In contrast to that which amounts to what, I can't do the math very quickly, but $16,000-$18,000 - the public officers and administrative officers at the high end of the scale would have expected to get an increment of something like $1,600. A first class clerk $900 - $1,600 and $900 cannot compare to the $16,000-$18,000 that ministers are giving up. Cannot compare to what the CEO's are giving up. Cannot compare to what the heads of department are giving up"
"The point is therefore that the increment freeze group is in dollar terms being ask for the smallest amount of all."
"In the circumstances I am utterly confounded by the intransigence of particularly the PSU."
"In the face of the well over 80,000 persons without jobs and wherewithal, Government of Belize still insists on protecting the substantive salaries of public officers. That notwithstanding, they refuse to make even the tiny sacrifice we are asking. I say without reservation their position is unacceptable."
"They do have a proud tradition of sacrifice but they are demeaning it now by their unreasonableness. Everybody else must suffer, everybody else must sacrifice, but not them. It is utterly incomprehensible and Government won't have it."
"This situation, I repeat, cannot be countenanced and Government of Belize is going to do what we must. The PSU talks about going to Court. Well, I will remind them that no court can oblige the Government to pay what it simply does not have."
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