Chief Executive Officer Brian Mingo concludes the meeting, as the other stakeholders look on.
PHILIPSBURG - After four hours of talks between airport management, an employee representative, and trade union ABVO on Friday, management agreed to pay employees 100 per cent of what’s due to them this month.
The first proposal presented by management involved the payment of all dues (since 2017) over four quarters, while ABVO suggested two payments of 50 per cent, in July and December.
While there was some deliberation, the group of employees gathered outside the Government Building chose “100 per cent or nothing”, even though they were told that management had said that that approach would mean going to court and needing to work as usual throughout the duration of the court case.
At around 8:00pm, ABVO representatives, the airport’s Chief Operations Officer Michel Hyman, and Dexter Doncher from Princess Juliana International Airport holding company PJIAH, gave thumbs up through the windows — met by cheering of the employees outside.
The critical meeting was a result of Wednesday’s protest which shut the airport to all flights except for emergencies.
Addressing the group after the meeting, Hyman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Mingo addressed the crowd and both said they regretted that the situation had escalated as far as it did. Mingo said that while his focus was on reconstruction, the job that he took last January entailed more than he realised, and promised that he would continue to strive to make things right.
A group of protesters waiting to hear management’s proposal.
