The dispute over government’s controversial NeoPeople human resources system is intensifying. The Public Service Union is urging public officers to boycott the pilot program, accusing the Ministry of Public Service of moving ahead without its consent. The union has raised concerns about privacy, biometric data collection and the alleged sharing of officers’ personal email addresses with a third-party company. PSU President Dean Flowers says key legal and data-protection issues remain unresolved, and government has yet to provide the union with its impact assessment. He argues that proceeding without those safeguards threatens workers’ rights and undermines trust in the consultation process.
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, NTUCB
“I should not be running behind you for the data impact assessment. That is part of the requirements of the law and as the workers representative you have a duty to share it. We have not gotten it. But they said they are prepared to share it. We would have also said to him that public officers must be informed and educated about the data protection act and exactly what the government sought to do and in accordance with he law that Briceno administration passed, the Data Protection Act, consent was required, unless certain provisions in the law, under section seven and eight, would have been effected, would have caused the consent not to be required. We would have said to them as well, if the John Briceno administration has absolutely nothing to hide then tell us how much you are paying NeoPeople to provide this service. And also tell us, whether or not there exist any conflict of interest of interest between the beneficial owners of Neopeople and the government of Belize when this contract was signed.”
Flowers says the union filed Freedom of Information requests seeking details of the NeoPeople contract.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
