Fire and ambulance workers at the Salt Pickers roundabout.
PHILIPSBURG--Firefighters and ambulance personnel staged a protest early Friday morning at the Salt Pickers roundabout in Philipsburg. The roads were blocked to traffic and the emergency vehicles blared their sirens. The demonstrators later moved to the Government Administration Building.
The workers are angry about not having received written confirmation that the Fire and Ambulance Departments will be moving to temporary locations while repairs are being made to the fire station. This had been announced by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs during the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday.
These moves are due to the “dangerous situation” at the fire station, said Jacobs at the time. Since Hurricanes Irma and Maria damaged the fire station in 2017, the building has been troubled by moisture, which has resulted in mould growing in the air conditioning system.
Windward Islands Civil Servants’ Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) Secretary-General Riegnald Arrindell told The Daily Herald that the union and members had held a brief discussion with the Prime Minister on Friday about the temporary relocation of staff to execute repairs and address a mould issue at the fire station in Cay Hill.
“The Prime Minister explained some of the kinks which occurred in the line of communication. Seemingly information was passed on, but it did not reach our office for some strange reason.
“The prime minister informed us on all the efforts and actions that are being taken to remedy the situation. However, based on what we picked up it doesn’t seem as though the target [relocation – Ed.] will be met to get our guys out preferably by today,” Arrindell said.
He added that they had received a notice that the Labour Mediator wished to meet with the union and workers. They were also informed that office of the Prime Minster would be contacting them regarding updates.
“The Prime Minister made it clear that [this situation – Ed.] has her attention. She’s concerned about the situation and she gave us her word, so we are taking it in good faith. At the end of the day we need to see a move as quickly as possible.”
In response, the Prime Minister assured her commitment to the relocation of the Emergency Service staff in a press release on Friday afternoon.
“Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs momentarily diverted from delivering the keynote address at the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) conference this morning in order to relieve the concerns of the Fire and Ambulance Departments regarding the planned move from their building,” the release said.
The release said that the Prime Minister had met with the workers and union representative Arrindell and had led them into the building to further update them on the resolutions. “The union and representatives had initiated this action as a result of not receiving written correspondence to confirm the Prime Minister’s statements on this topic made during Wednesday’s press briefing.”
The release said that while the Prime Minister awaits the documentation necessary to prompt the payments needed at the alternate location, all is being done to facilitate this move. “Prime Minister Jacobs was taken aback that this information had not been relayed by the Fire Chief, as he was a key factor in cementing the agreed-upon solution. She expects to have the advice on her desk by mid-morning in order to finalize the financial commitment needed by government later today.”
Jacobs concluded by saying, “Communication is essential to avoid further misunderstandings.”
She further reiterated her commitment to do all that is possible to facilitate the promotion of health, safety and wellness of emergency staff in St. Maarten.
