Cabinet confirms way forward with Joint Unions: increments return and timeline for pension reform laid out

By Aaron Humes: There has been formal confirmation of Cabinet’s decision to unfreeze increments for public officers and teachers at the start of the next financial year, to be covered in Friday’s Budget presentation.

A statement from Belmopan announced this afternoon that the report from the Ministerial Consulting Team made recommendations on the issues of increments and pension reform, following last week’s meeting with the Joint Unions Negotiating Team (JUNT) where critical evidence was presented for the immediate lifting of the increment freeze, rather than July or September as proposed by The Executive.

However, it appears the earliest date of return of two increment points lost might be in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with Cabinet saying the MCT and JUNT would continue discussions on the matter, focusing on establishing specific economic performance targets in that timeframe. Prime Minister and Minister of Finance John Briceno has been on record as saying that the idea that public officers are naturally deserving of increments should give way to earning them based on individual and collective merit.

As for public sector pension reform, there has been confirmation of the two-phase approach agreed in principle with the JUNT last week. In phase one, the goal is to institute, effective July 1, 2023, a new contributory pension scheme applicable only to new entrants into the Belize Public Service. Phase two will include a comprehensive review of the existing Public Service Pension Scheme to determine how to make it more effective, efficient and sustainable. For this purpose, a working group will be established, including the government, JUNT, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, Grant Aided Managing Authorities of Schools (GAMAS), and the private sector.

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