By Belize Live News Staff: As the government points to a ballooning wage bill of $698 million—accounting for 56% of all public expenditure—union leaders say they won’t take the blame for what they call years of unchecked hiring by successive administrations.
Responding to Prime Minister Briceño’s budget remarks, Sharon Frazer, President of APSSM, made it clear the unions reject any responsibility for ghost workers or an inflated wage bill. “If it’s bloated, if there are ghost workers, they are responsible,” she said. “We want value for money too, and if they’re not getting it, it’s their system.”
Frazer also called out the government’s failure to provide employment data and defended the unions’ demand for wage adjustments. “We’ve been asking how many people have been employed by government. They’re the ones who have not given it to us.”
