Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2023, published 112nd ILC session (2024)

Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151) - Belize (Ratification: 1999)

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Application of the Convention in practice. In its previous comment, the Committee had requested the government to provide information on the number of workers’ organizations in the public administration which have been registered. Since Belize has also ratified the Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154), the Committee also requested the Government to provide information on the collective negotiations held with these organizations and on the number of collective agreements or other agreements in force in the public administration. The Committee notes that the Government informs that: (i) there are currently eight registered workers’ unions in the public administration; (ii) on July 2022, a collective agreement has been signed between Christian Workers Union and the Central Bank; (iii) no new collective agreements have been signed with the Association of Public Service Senior Management (APPSSM), the Public Service Union of Belize (PSU) and the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) during the reporting period and due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Government had to unilaterally implement cost-saving measures, including and a 10 per cent cut in wages, a 25 per cent cut in allowances; and (iv) while each of these three unions have signed a separate collective agreement, the Labour Relations Board considers that three different collective agreements should be negotiated so as to take into account the different regulations applicable to the workers affiliated to each of these unions.

The Committee takes note of the information provided by the Government. It notes that the unilateral cost-saving measures taken to respond to the economic crisis affected the compliance with the collective agreements mentioned by the Government. The Committee recalls that in situations of serious economic and financial difficulties, the authorities should give preference as far as possible to collective bargaining in determining the conditions of employment of public servants and, where circumstances rule this out, measures of this kind should be limited in time and protect the standard of living of the workers who are the most affected (see 1994 General Survey on freedom of association and collective bargaining, paragraph 264). Highlighting the importance of respecting collective agreements in force, the Committee requests the Government to provide further information on the unilateral cost-saving measures that were taken, indicating in particular whether they are still in force or not. The Committee further requests the Government to provide updated information on the collective negotiations held with the different public servants’ organizations mentioned and on the number of collective agreements in force in the public administration, the sectors of the administration concerned and the number of workers covered.