Public servants across the country were expecting to get their salaries before the Easter weekend, but will now need to wait until Tuesday, April 14th. According to Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, stated that government is facing difficult times and the flow of revenue has come to a grinding halt as the country battles the COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Waight explained that the government pays twice a month (every 15th and end of the month), and sometimes, they even do so early to better accommodate their employees. Public officers were to get paid on Wednesday, April 8th, which would have been very helpful for the upcoming Easter weekend. Waight said that no one will be shorted, but pay won’t be incoming until next week because of the current financial situation. “We know it is an inconvenience to some, but we are in difficult times together and I know the public servants will understand,” Waight said. He added that at the end of the month, they may stagger a bit more as this next payment includes pensions. “We don’t know what the future holds, but it could get much worse before it gets better,” Waight said. He indicated that government is doing what they can to meet their obligations with public officers, but emphasized that they do not know what will happen in the upcoming months.
Waight referred to the public servants as the country’s current national heroes. While mindful of the inconvenience caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out that Belize is experiencing an unprecedented situation and faced with limited options on how to deal with this global threat.
The next payment to the public service is expected to be on April 30, 2020. We will keep following the matter.
