Claire Elshot
PHILIPSBURG--Finance Minister Ardwell Irion has proposed several cost-cutting measures by government, including salary cuts for civil servants.
President of the Windward Island Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) Claire Elshot said the Council of Ministers invited all unions representing civil servants and the members of the CCSU (Committee Civil Servants Union) to an urgent virtual meeting on May 7. During this meeting, the minister presented several of these cost-cutting measures to the union leaders.
According to Elshot, during this meeting the minister said prior to having the kingdom government impose “unachievable conditions” in order to receive financial support or aid in the form of a zero per cent interest loan, they were presenting these measures.
As part of these measures, there will be a temporary loss of vacation allowance for all civil servants with a salary above NAf. 4,000 a month.
All civil servants with a salary above NAf. 8,000 a month will receive a 10 per cent salary cut. All bonuses and periodic increases will also be frozen.
She said the time frame in which this would take place was not specified during this meeting. However, it was implicated that this measure will last up until December of this year.
“To try and sell these measures to the unions, he referred to the cost-cutting measures taken by Aruba, such as a 50 per cent cut of vacation allowance and a 12.5 per cent salary cut for all civil servants across the board,” Elshot said.
Irion indicated to the unions that government needed the support of the unions as an active partner in this process. “It is better we come up with solutions and possibilities because it is not the government against the unions, by doing so we can avoid unachievable conditions to be imposed by the kingdom,” Elshot said, quoting the minister.
According to Elshot, the minister said the government has previously implemented several cost-cutting measures, but with the increasing amount of persons who require help due to a loss of jobs, government has to provide these persons with financial aid. She quoted Irion who asked, “what do you prefer, vacation allowance and no salary for the months of August, September or October”?
Elshot said, “from what we have gathered, it is very clear: if COVID-19 has caused a loss of income for government as our employer, then just as the private sector businesses can apply for payroll support, let them (government) apply for payroll support. Just as private sector employers – as a requirement to qualify for payroll support – have to pay all workers their full salaries and benefits to get the 80 per cent compensation, government as an employer has to do the same.
“Just as the Dutch government – as one of the 10 richest governments in the world – is compensating the businesses with a 90 per cent compensation for the loss of income and revenues due to COVID-19, let them compensate the governments of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten too.”
She said unemployment benefits is a human right in Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article nine of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights.
“This right to social security – just as all other economic social and cultural rights – has to be guaranteed by the state government, which is the kingdom government, based on Article two of International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights.
“After hurricane Irma, the kingdom government had to provide liquidity support to the St. Maarten government to comply with all its financial obligations because of the effect of hurricane Irma. The COVID-19 pandemic is also a disaster which the state government has to mitigate with all means possible in the kingdom,” she added.
“As union leaders we want to remind Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and the Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion, that they were not appointed by the kingdom government neither by State Secretary Knops. Just as we – as union leaders – were not appointed by State Secretary Knops neither the kingdom government, but by the union members who elected us.
“As elected officials they have to remember [to – Ed.] represent our people and stand up for our rights to an equal treatment as workers and as citizens in the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” said Elshot.
She said the union leaders were given until May 15 to take their final decision on the proposed cost-cutting measures, just eight days after the unions were initially contacted by government.
“Before May 15, the civil servants union leaders will inform the two ministers after consulting with our members what will be the measures we propose to be taken to comply with international treaty obligations,” she concluded.
