PHILIPSBURG – “New policies should be based on facts on consultation with stakeholders such as the labor tripartite and higher councils such as the Social Economic Council (SER),” former Minister of Public Health, Social Affairs and Labor (VSA) Emil Lee told stmaartenenews.com in an invited comment about the work permit policy Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty put in place per February 7. “Everyone should agree that we all want to see our people gainfully employed in rewarding and satisfying employment. I believe we should want to see our people as entrepreneurs creating thriving businesses that employ more people,” Lee said. But there…
Author: The Publisher
“We don’t need data for it because we can see it.” says Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty on the issue of work permit policy and abuse. PHILIPSBURG – Members of parliament agreed about one thing during Monday afternoon’s debate about Labor Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty’s work permit policy: locals deserve a fair chance in the job market. But they had plenty of questions about the effectiveness of the policy and about the way the minister put it in place. “I believe in this policy,” Gordon-Carty said. “It is hard to believe that this policy is being criticized. All countries protect their local market…
PHILIPSBURG – The court of appeals has ordered E’s Solutions, a company owned and managed by Eunicio Martina, to repay Social and Health Insurances SZV an amount of 1,757,550 guilders. The implications are that Martina, a former Chef de Cabinet under Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever, received this money from SZV after a court ruling handed down by the Court in First Instance on June 12, 2018. The appeals court has now overruled that decision and ordered the company to pay back almost one million dollars to SZV. However, based on information StMaartenNews.com has received, this information is not…
PHILIPSBURG – The government is still in a bind about the liquidity support it is expecting from the Netherlands for 2018 and 2019. But so far, St. Maarten has not met the conditions the Kingdom Council of Ministers attached to this financial injection in April 2019. These conditions still apply: the Kingdom Council of Ministers demands that St. Maarten improves the detention capacity at the Pointe Blanche prison; that it tackles the salaries and fringe benefits of members of parliament; that it allows the National Police to work on the island; and that it reforms the pension system for civil…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Many executives and managers are like chicken picking around for worms in a chicken coop. However, fat worms are found by the early birds. And those early birds don’t pick around in a corral with a fence around it and a roof over it. If you are looking for fresh fat worms, look beyond the fences of the industry or the limitations of knowledge. Opportunity recognition is an important part of value creation processes. Executives and managers often lack entrepreneurship. They got their assignment because they could provide evidence of formal education, training and experience in…
By Hilbert Haar Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty is not the first one to come up with measures to protect the local labor market. Her work permit policy that went into effect on February 7 has met with instant resistance from employers organizations. Said reactions in turn have inspired other to rail against the employment of foreigners on the island. The question is of course whether the new policy will have any meaningful effect. The advice the Social Economic Council (SER) issued in November 2013 about yet another work policy measure – the counterpart-rule – immediately came to mind. And that advice…
PHILIPSBURG – There is a lot of discussion about the new work permit policy Labor Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty put into place per February 7. The Hospitality and Trade Association, the Timeshare Association, the Marine Trade Association and the Indian Merchants Association immediately rejected it and demanded that the minister withdraw the policy. So let’s take a step back and look at what is really going on here. In her introduction to the policy, as published in the National Gazette, Minister Gordon states: “The aftermath of Hurricane Irma has seen many foreigners employed with companies on Sint Maarten. In addition, several…
WILLEMSTAD – The Court in First Instance in Curacao will handle the liability procedure against insurance company ENNIA’s major shareholder Hushang Ansary and other former managers on March 30, the Antilliaans Dagblad reported, based on information obtained from the information desk of the Common Court of Justice. Ansary will have to give account for the funds he extracted from ENNIA; the insurance company operates since 2018 under an emergency measure. The procedure against Ansary has also been filed at the Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York by the American law office of David Polk&Wardwell. The entities of ENNIA Caribe…
MP Sarah Wescot-Williams: VSA Minister’s Decision Regarding Work Permits is Haphazard and Uncoordinated. PHILIPSBURG — MP Wescot: “Where does this National Employment Service Center fit in the legal organization of the country? The announcement by the VSA Minister regarding her policy relative to foreign work permit applications is reason to query government’s modus operandi, as this comes across as a hasty and uncoordinated decision.” The organization of the country St. Maarten is regulated by national ordinance. According to that ordinance the Ministry of VSA consists of amongst others, the Department of Labor, responsible for policy. In addition, the VSA Ministry…
PHILIPSBURG – Port de Plaisance Boutique is the rightful owner of the Sunset Building in Simpson Bay. Attempts by its previous owners – United St. Maarten party leader Frans Richardson and Bureau Telecommunication and Post director Anthony Carty, as well as their company Paradise Real Estate (PRE) – to declare the auction of the property null and void fell on deaf ears in the Court in First Instance last year December 2019. Here is a recap of how Frans Richardson lost his beautiful building. In November 2011, Scotia Bank (now Republic Bank) extended a $2 million loan to PRE, to…
