Public Service Union chides Social Security board over distillery loan

Published by BBNTEAM at November 17, 2023

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Posted: Friday, November 17, 2023. 3:52 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: The Public Service Union (PSU) has chided the proposal to loan $9 million to Belize Premium Spirits and Liquors Limited as “morally bankrupt [and] socially irresponsible.”

According to the Union, investments made by the Social Security Board (SSB) should include the calculus of improving overall the population’s quality of life and provide a positive social impact.

The PSU cites World Bank development indicators that say Belizeans over 15 consume more than the global average of total alcohol consumption, about 5.7 pure liters or 1.25 Imperial gallons per year. It means Belize apparently has an “alcohol consumption crisis” that our health system is inadequately able to treat.

The Union also demands that the Board show how the production will not end up in the local market as claimed, or how the distillery will be profitable and meet its loan obligations without having produced any.

Investments, the Union concludes, should be about “the merging of profits and values.”

The PSU calls on its General Membership to also feel free to email their personal objections to: [email protected] or [email protected].

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