7 News Belize

UB President Says Where's The Recommendation UBFSA
posted (July 8, 2020)
Last week, the University of Belize's Faculty and Staff Union called a press conference to announce that they had become frustrated with the President, Dr. Clement Sankat, and the Board of Trustees.

They say that for weeks, they've been trying to convince the president and the board to include them as valued stakeholders in the decision-making process of how the National University will survive the COVID crisis facing the country. They gave the President and the Board a deadline of Monday to make meaningful efforts at consulting with them, or else they would take industrial action.

Well, the Union is now calling on its membership to participate in a demonstration tomorrow.

Today, President Dr. Sankat sent out a letter of his own to all of the stakeholders announcing, that he intends to hold an online meeting on next Monday. The purpose of this meeting to discuss his recommendations on the university can possibly survive the 7.13 million dollars in losses that the university is expecting to suffer during the next academic year.

In that letter, he said, quote, "I will be doing so after due, deliberate and extensive consultations with all of our stakeholders….on how we can treat with this severe projected cash reduction of 33% of our cash annual income....I wish to bring to your attention that I have received no suggestions/recommendations from the UBFSA, who have been given our most recent annual financial reports, and have also been given a pathway by the Board of Trustees to receive even more information as they may see fit… As an important stakeholder, I once more urge the UBFSA to submit their recommendations to me.

Once more I say to you that this financial crisis we are in is not of the University's making but we must respond if the National University of Belize is to be kept afloat."

We'll ask the union about the President's letter tomorrow at their demonstration, which starts at the National Assembly.

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