These are not easy times for most, including cabinet members. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs acknowledged that while she does not consider the reform entity with far-reaching authorities proposed by the Netherlands “the best vehicle” for providing more liquidity loans to St. Maarten, seeing the country’s financial position there were few options left but trying to reach agreement.
That cannot be a comfortable feeling neither for the NA leader nor her colleague politicians in both the executive and legislative branches of government. However, the local reality of this unprecedented coronavirus-related crisis leaves all of them and by extension the entire population they represent with little choice.
If there have already been complaints about dismissals now, one can only imagine the situation without payroll and income support. Several businesses were forced to close regardless due to a variety of reasons like not requesting or getting the wage subsidy, lack of compensation for fixed and other operational cost, a dramatic loss of earnings, etc.
Labour unions and their members are not to be denied either. Workers have had to accept cuts in their salary, hours and/or benefits and in the private sector sign for such, because a 20 per cent staff contribution was made mandatory for employers receiving the payroll support as condition for the Dutch loans to fund it.
That is no fun, nor is public sector employees including personnel at government-owned companies enduring a 12.5 per cent reduction of their total benefits package. In both cases this situation probably needs to continue certainly at the start of next year, because even if stayover tourism were to recover beyond reasonable expectations during the upcoming high season, it is not likely to reach pre-pandemic levels and with cruise tourism still to resume the destination simply won’t make enough money to cover basic expenses.
Surviving the current exceptional circumstances as a people requires solidarity from every segment of the community, including social partners. We are all in this together.
