Public Workers’ Increments to be Restored

Public service officers can expect their increments to be reinstated within the new fiscal year. Increments were frozen in 2020 due to the economic blow the country’s economy felt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public workers from across the country have been up in arms about the Government’s seemingly sluggish approach to giving them back what they think is due to them. Prime Minister, John Briceño, says that his administration is set on restoring these increments within the new fiscal year, but he also reminded workers that increment is based on merit and is not automatic

Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Yes we have said it many times from last year in December I told the unions that we are prepared to unfreeze the increment freeze that we have so that then our government employees can expect increments. There are a lot of good workers that deserve an increment but also there are a number of them that don’t deserve an increment and that is a position I’ve been selling to the unions that an increment is not an increase in salary, an increment should be given based on performance and that is where I guess the unions don’t like when I mention that.”