A dismissed worker joined workers from other establishments to protest on Front Street earlier this year. (File photo)
PHILIPSBURG--The Department of Labor handled a total of 749 labour disputes (complaints) and 96 dismissals, 32 of which were granted, between 2019 and June of this year.
Ministry official Peggy-Ann Dros said the data only captures dismissal applications submitted to the Department and not “the huge fallout” on the labour market of persons who were “forced to be laid off,” as well as persons who reached mutual settlements with their employers.
A total of 56.1 per cent of the dismissal cases handled concerned Dutch nationals; 51.4 per cent were males. One was a mass dismissal case and 5.3 per cent was related to COVID-19.
Of the 44 dismissal cases in 2019, 14 were granted, 20 were denied, three suspended and seven reached mutual settlement.
Of the 37 dismissal cases handled in 2020, 11 were granted, 19 denied, one suspended and six reached mutual settlement.
Of the 15 cases handled up to the second quarter of this year, seven were granted, 2 denied, 3 suspended and 3 reached mutual settlement.
Dros said that judging from social media one would think there are a huge number of mass dismissals in the country. However, she said that persons are not jobless related to a process tied to the Ministry. “They are jobless because, in our opinion, they were terminated unlawfully,” she said, adding that many people are afraid and intimated. “There are a lot of dynamics going on that need to be addressed.”
A total of 36.2 per cent of the labour disputes handled concerned Dutch nationals; 51.4 per cent were females; 32 per cent were related to COVID-19 in 2020; and there was a significant decrease in the first two quarters of 2021.
Of the 77 disputes in the first two quarters of this year, 49 were solved; 23 were referred to court; four were suspended and one was not solved.
Of the 285 disputes in 2020, 149 were solved, 102 were referred to court, 32 were suspended and three were not solved.
Of the 311 disputes in 2019, 129 were solved, 75 were referred to court, 29 were suspended and 78 were not solved.
Dros said there is a growing trend of persons being referred to the court to settle their disputes, as it is getting increasingly difficult to mediate with employers. She spoke about a company on Front Street, which she did not identify by name but which at least one MP referred to by name, which was taken to court by its staffers, who won the case, but the company never paid the workers.
“A win is a win on paper, but it does not translate to anything for the employees,” Dros said.
Several MPs later asked what can be done in such a situation. One MP asked why the company, Effy, still holds a licence in St. Maarten given that it is blatantly ignoring a court judgement, and speculated that someone must be protecting the business.
