Several strikes in different sectors took place over the last few days in Curaçao. The employees involved ranged from teachers, garbage collectors, nursing personnel and shipyard workers to police officers. In at least three cases the protest actions were accompanied by roadblocks to make sure motorists felt the pinch.
The Council of Ministers held an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to discuss these developments. Concern exists that the labour unions may be trying to bring about a change in government.
The PAR/MAN/PIN coalition has been forced to reduce spending because of disappointing revenues and a stagnating economy. Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath denied that a covenant he recently signed with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte means the Netherlands getting more involved in governing the country. However, during a gathering at the Santa Maria community centre organised by “Movementu Kousa Prome” (MKP) a broad-based front for own governance was formed to counter what is deemed meddling by the former coloniser in Curaçao’s autonomous affairs.
Apart from tourism, practically all major industries such as the financial services sector but also aviation with the demise of InselAir are down, while the ever-worsening crisis in neighbouring Venezuela has basically paralysed the Isla refinery and related contractors as well as harbour activities. The result has been many layoffs and growing fear of non-payment of salaries combined with even more loss of jobs.
In addition, the lease contract for Isla plus the Bullenbaai oil storage transhipment terminal with international sanctions-hit “Petroleos de Venezuela” PDVSA expires at the end of this year and there is no clarity yet on a future operator.
All this is certainly relevant to St. Maarten, which is in a monetary union with Curaçao. The two former Dutch Caribbean countries also share a central bank, an attorney-general along with Bonaire, St, Eustatius and Saba (the BES islands) as well as a joint court of justice along with Aruba.
Hopefully the situation in Curaçao will improve soon, because St. Maarten’s hospitality-based economy is only just recovering from the onslaught of Hurricane Irma and it’s important to keep the monetary union’s balance of payments healthy together, so that the long-term stability of the Netherlands Antilles guilder as their common currency can be ensured.
