PHILIPSBURG — Member of Parliament and Faction Leader for the United People’s Party the honorable Grisha Heyliger-Marten is calling on the Dutch Government to finalize the decolonization process that it started almost seventy years ago. Her position is consistent with the proclamation of the period 2010-2020 as the “Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism” by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10th, 2010 via resolution 65/119. In a press release issued on Wednesday, June 2, 2020, MP Heyliger-Marten said the “Round Table Conference” between the Government of the Netherlands and the six Dutch Caribbean islands should be…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – TelEm’s top managers paid themselves hefty bonuses in December of last year, union-leader Ludson Evers confirmed to StMaartenNews.com. While there was an agreement about a bonus of 50 percent of their salaries, the managers took 100 percent. The supervisory board forced them to pay back the difference. Evers said he believes that director Dupersoy earns more or less the amount of 27,000 guilders ($15,084) per month, financial director Helma Etnel 25,000 ($13,966) and technical director Eldert Luisa between 22 and 23,000 (around $12,570). “Etnel and Louisa paid back the difference immediately but Dupersoy claimed he had financial problems,”…
PHILIPSBURG – The St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) has labeled the proposal of salary cuts by the management of telecom provider TelEm an “indecent proposal.” Chairman Ludson Evers and Secretary Sherman Serastis wrote in a letter to TelEm-director Kendal Dupersoy that the union “does not agree with any cost cutting measure that would have a direct negative financial impact on the employees.” The union still wants to have a discussion with TelEm-management about cost-cutting measures but not before the company provides a truckload of information about the costs of, among others, consultants and legal advisers. The union wants detailed information…
PHILIPSBURG — The Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten already took steps to counter the effects of the corona-virus crisis in March. At least one of these measures seems to be at odds with statements interim president José Jardim made mid-May in a letter to the chairman of parliament Rolando Brison. The Central Bank announcement dated March 20 (unless it is an error and it should read May 20) establishes that “commercial banks and credit institutions will be allowed to provide a 3 to 6 months payment moratorium on interest and principles of all outstanding loans without having to…
BELLEVUE — Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020, French authorities finally announced officially the closing of their border control posts and the lifting of checks at the Bellevue crosspoint and at the French Quarter frontier. According to Le Pelican, in a press release, the Prefecture of Saint-Martin confirmed the lifting of border control posts. “In connection with the Government of Sint-Marteen, the Prefecture of Saint-Barths and Saint-Martin issued an order limiting the movement between the two parts of the island in order to limit the spread of the virus. As the island’s health situation is stabilizing, free movement between Saint Martin and…
~ TelEm threatens collective layoffs if no agreement with the union can be reached ~ POND ISLAND — In a letter dated June 1, 2020, CEO of the Sint Maarten Telecommunication Operating Company N.V. (TelEm), Kendall Dupersoy, informed the board of the St. Maarten Telecommunications Union that the St. Maarten government as the ultimate shareholder has instructed the company to adjust the labor conditions of its employees resulting in a decrease of 12.5%. This has to be implemented ultimately July 1, 2020 and has to remain in effect until further notice, according to the letter. “As you are also aware…
~ Why is the French side border controls still in place? What are they looking for? How long will it last? ~ From our French side Correspondent GREAT BAY — It has been exactly two weeks since the government on the Dutch side in the South in Great Bay decided to cease all border controls into Sint Maarten at all the frontiers. On Saturday, May 16, 2020, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs announced that “it was decided that based on the efforts of the government to properly contain the virus, leading to a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases on…
PHILIPSBURG – It is currently unclear how long the French side of the island will keep its border controls in place but one thing is certain: according to a report in FaxInfo, children living on the Dutch side are not welcome in schools on the French side. Rumor has it that the border controls could remain in place for at least a year. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs lifted the border controls from the Dutch side per Sunday, May 17. Containers blocking the border crossing in Oyster Pond were removed, but it did not take French authorities long before they replaced…
PHILIPSBURG — On Friday, May 29th, 2020, Member of Parliament Claudius Buncamper sent an email to the President of Parliament, MP Rolando Brison, requesting an urgent meeting regarding the still pending NRPB programs and projects. The email suggests that it is imperative that the Prime Minister is invited to the meeting, accompanied by the NRPB directorate and any other support staff desired by the prime minister. MP Buncamper’s request was supported by MP Akeem Arrindell (USP), MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (UD), MP Melissa Gumbs (PFP), MP Raeyhon Peterson (PFP), and MP Christophe Emmanuel (NA). The meeting serves to allow the Prime…
PHILIPSBURG – The local economy is coming back to life with a bang after Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs allowed the reopening of most businesses per May 30 with the publication of the “regulation of May 29, 2020, to establish phase 3.” The complete text of the regulation can be found on the government website (sintmaartengov.org) under the official publications tab. Scroll through the 2020 tab to AB 2020, no. 31: “Regeling van 29 mei 2020 tot het vaststellen van fase 3 en wijziging bijlage.” Or just download it from here. While the curfew remains in place from 11 p.m. until…
