From left: Dutch Caretaker Minister for Policy, Participation and Pensions Carola Schouten, Chairman of the Caribbean Netherlands Social Minimum Committee Glenn Thodé and Caretaker State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen announced during their visit to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba that the minimum wage, social security benefits and child benefit in the Caribbean Netherlands will rise from January 1, 2024.
KRALENDIJK--From July 1, 2024, the minimum wage in the Caribbean Netherlands will increase to US $1,750 per month. Employer charges are going down to meet employers’ additional costs. Besides the minimum wage, social security benefits will increase. Child benefit will go up by about $90 per child per month on January 1, 2024. Dutch Caretaker Minister for Policy, Participation and Pensions Carola Schouten announced this during her visit to the Caribbean Netherlands from October 23 to 27.
Residents receiving minimum wage or social benefits will already have more income from January 1, 2024. On Bonaire, the minimum wage on a 40-hour work week for a 21-year-old will rise to $1,570 per month. On St. Eustatius it will rise to $1,555 and on Saba to $1,654 per month. The social benefits for a single person living independently and the old age pension AOV and AWW will increase to $1,335 per month on Bonaire; $1,322 on St. Eustatius; and $1,406 per month on Saba. Child benefit will rise to $225 per child, per month on Bonaire, $216 on St. Eustatius and $225 on Saba from January 1.
The immediate reason for the minister’s visit was the report “A Dignified Existence” by the Caribbean Netherlands Social Minimum Committee. This report was presented to Minister Schouten and Caretaker State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen on October 6.
Glenn Thodé, chairman of the committee, accompanied the minister during her visit to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Here, Thodé and Schouten spoke with representatives of the Island Councils, Executive Councils, trade unions and employers, among others. Central to those discussions was the committee’s report and how best to follow up on its recommendations.
Schouten stated that it concerns her that one in three people on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba live in poverty. “That is why the cabinet is now taking steps – both on income, with the increase in minimum wage and social benefits and extra child benefit, and on costs such as electricity, water and Internet. This is an important step, but there is still plenty to do to improve the situation of people in the Caribbean Netherlands.”
Thodé affirmed that poverty is not normal, especially not for a country as rich as the Netherlands, of which the three islands have been special municipalities for 13 years. “It is the result of how we decide to share welfare with each other. It is not complex or complicated, because there is enough room for this social minimum, our research shows. The first good steps have now been taken for the minimum wage, the social benefits and some key cost items. With this, the cabinet is taking a big step to tackle poverty in the Caribbean Netherlands.” The chairman hopes that more steps will follow to decrease the cost of living on these islands.
The Dutch cabinet has structurally allocated 32 million euros for the Caribbean Netherlands. This will pay for the mentioned increase in social benefits and child benefit. The energy allowance of $1,300 a year for low income households will remain, as will the reduction in the fixed electricity tariff. The rates for drinking water and Internet will be further reduced, and the Dutch government will continue to support free school meals in 2024. It will also make one million euros available to support local poverty policies and 700,000 euros to improve public transport on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
