By Belize Live News Staff: The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority (KHMHA) has confirmed its commitment to fair and transparent negotiations with the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union (KHMHAWU), stating its full support for an ex-gratia payment to staff employed between 2001 and 2017.
In a press release dated June 23, KHMHA explained that the payment is meant to compensate employees for the years prior to the establishment of the KHMHA Employee Provident Fund in 2017. The fund was created after years of internal negotiations and is part of the hospital’s efforts to provide long-term financial benefits to its workforce in line with the KHMHA Act.
Eligible employees will receive the ex-gratia payment upon retirement, resignation, or termination. This payment will be made in addition to severance, social security, vacation days, and Provident Fund benefits already in place. The proposal for this compensation was shared with the union in a formal letter dated June 20.
The KHMHA also highlighted that employees already receive numerous benefits, including hospital service discounts, free medical care, staff clinic access for themselves and family members, group health insurance, meals, night transportation, study leave, and concessionary staff loans.
While the union had requested a pension scheme, the hospital clarified that its employees, hired independently of the public service, do not qualify under the Pensions Act, which only covers government public officers.
KHMHA emphasized that it remains committed to future contributions to the Provident Fund and to ongoing dialogue with the union as both sides continue to work toward a finalized collective bargaining agreement.
