Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers (ABRPO) pickets Ministry of Finance office in Belmopan

Posted: Tuesday, July 30, 2024. 6:11 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: Executive members of the Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers (ABRPO) returned to the picket line in Belmopan this morning, protesting at the Sir Edney Cain building which houses the Ministry of Finance as well as the meeting place of the Cabinet in Belmopan.

A statement from the Association under the hand of President Hubert Enriquez informed that a meeting was held on June 4 with Prime Minister John Briceño and other government officials to discuss the activities and timelines for the dissolution of the Trust. At that meeting, it was agreed that further meetings would be held every month to review the progress of activities undertaken. Enriquez said that it is almost two months hence and despite reminders delivered to the Office of the P.M. and the Minister of the Public Service, no further meetings have been called.

Enriquez warned: “Beneficiaries are disgruntled. Time is of the essence as ageing beneficiaries continue to pass away in numbers without being paid the benefits to which they are entitled. The travesty is compounded by the uncertainty on whether the entitlement of the deceased beneficiary will devolve to the rightful inheritors. Beneficiaries call on the Prime Minister to urgently fulfil his commitment to dissolve the Public Sector Workers Trust and compensate deserving beneficiaries.”

However, he expressed positive sentiments to reporters today, saying there is momentum from the Government in their favour – they now need to find the time to get it done.

Members of the ABRPO, which include public sector workers who saw a wage freeze implemented by the administration of Prime Minister Sir Manuel Esquivel from 1995 to 1997 amid financial difficulty, want their compensation in cash for the losses they suffered.

The Trust, which controls 480,000 shares in what was then known as Belize Telecommunications Limited and is now Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), bonds in St. Catherine Academy, and other secure investments, is worth around 10 million dollars. Today, those shares and accumulated interest amount to a significant sum, which the workers hope to access soon.

The P.M., speaking at the time of the March protest during the Budget Debate reiterated that at the moment it is a matter for the courts: “We support the winding down, or shutting down, of this Trust. The problem that we have right now it is that [it] is in the courts, so the people that are suing – if they can withdraw the case…whosoever it is, if these people could withdraw the case, then we can wind it down, and at the same time I believe we can do any investigation there may be to see if there was any money misspent…It’s in court, so we can’t touch it.” He further acknowledged the concerns of the retired public officers that they need urgent funds for their medical expenses among others.

 

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