Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital staff exempt from 10 percent salary cut

Published by BBN Staff at April 23, 2021

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Posted: Friday, April 23, 2021. 1:12 pm CST.

By Benjamin Flowers: The staff members of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) will not have to endure the 10 percent salary cut being faced by teachers and public officers, according to the Government of Belize (GOB).

Andrew Baird, Union Representative for the KHMH Workers Union explained that when the union met with GOB earlier this week, they were told that KHMH staff were not classified as public officers and as such would not be subject to the salary cut.

“KHMH staff has always been used conveniently when it comes to whether you are public officers or not when it fits the government when they want to treat us like we’re public officers. So, this purpose, we wanted to get it clear and right so that when we address our staff and membership at KHMH…the Prime Minister declared to us and let us know clearly that we are not public officers, and we are not included in the 10% salary cut,” Baird said.

Baird noted that the KHMH Workers union remains supportive of the other unions affected by the salary cuts and will be engaging its membership to see what kind of support the union can give to its sister organizations fighting against the pay cut.

The KHMH is a statutory body that receives a subvention from the government, which Baird says is around $25 million. He notes the government has committed to the KHMH that it will try to keep from cutting the subvention. However the Public Service Union warns that the national budget has already determined that the subvention will be cut, due to the reduction in recurrent expenditures.

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