SABA/ST. EUSTATIUS--Since the emergency regulation of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment SZW came into effect at the beginning of this month, requests have been received from more than 2,000 persons in Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. Half of these have already been paid out.
Employees of the SZW Unit at the National Department Caribbean Netherlands RCN worked for most of the past Easter weekend to make this possible, SZW-RCN said Tuesday.
The temporary regulation applies for a period of three months and is retroactive to March 13. To be eligible for the regulation, there must be a loss of turnover of at least 20 per cent in connection with the coronavirus. When granted, 80 per cent of the employee’s wages are paid to the employer for the hours that the employee cannot work. This amount must be passed on to the employee as salary.
The regulation also applies to employees with zero-hour or temporary contracts.
Independent entrepreneurs without an income in Bonaire, Statia and Saba can claim a supplement of up to 80 per cent of the statutory minimum wage.
People who no longer have an employer because of the coronavirus can submit an application for support themselves with the local SZW unit. This is possible if their contract has not been renewed or because they were on a probationary period. They can claim 80 per cent of their last-earned wages.
More information about the emergency regulation of SZW and the application forms can be found on
www.rijksdienstcn.com/covid-19.
