The National Alliance (NA) has a point when it comes to eight former employees of Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) who were laid off during last September’s downsizing deemed necessary to make the government-owned company financially viable again. Their dismissal was handled with input from St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) that represented them, according to the collective labour agreement (CLA) and with severance packages.
However, argued parliamentarian Jurendy Doran, they were also promised other jobs as civil servants since October last year by Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin. A quick search of The Daily Herald website showed it was more a pledge to help them find alternative work, but one could say expectations were raised.
That these persons supposedly have been told joining the civil service even on a one-year contract would mean losing their PSS pay-out based on years of employment seems strange, to say the least. Of course, they would have to make a fresh start at the bottom of the seniority ladder as government staffers, but that has nothing to do with their built-up rights at the postal company which – as the opposition member correctly put it – is a totally separate entity of the public sector.
The intention here, especially under the current financial-economic circumstances, is in no way to suggest bogus vacancies be created for this group in the already bloated government bureaucracy. Nevertheless, considering the many rebuilding projects getting underway in different areas with means from the Dutch-sponsored Trust Fund managed by the World Bank, it’s hard to believe experienced administrative workers with advanced knowledge of the mailing business cannot be made useful in some form or fashion.
A commitment to try to assist was expressed that – if at all responsibly possible – should in principle be honoured.
