PHILIPSBURG—Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in her capacity as Minister of General Affairs, met with the Members of the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) on Friday, February 7th, 2020. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the draft Pension Reform Legislation and the Function Book of the Sint Maarten Fire Department. During this meeting, the Members reiterated their concerns pertaining to the draft Pension Reform Legislation that is being debated in Parliament. According to the members, Civil Servants will be adversely affected by changing the “end salary pension” to a “middle salary” pension structure, given that the salaries have…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — On the morning of Tuesday, February 18, 2020, the Sherrif Security building headquarters was raided and searched by members of the TBO, the Anti-Corruption Taskforce and other law enforcement agencies. According to a press release put out the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the business premises of the company and various archive storage areas were searched under the supervision of a judge of instruction. No arrests were made, the release stated. When stmaartennews.com visited the company building to speak with Yolanda Sprott, the manager of Sherrif Security, we were told by a member of the investigating team that we will not…
It is very interesting to hear members of parliament rail against the new work permit policy imposed by Minister Pamela Gordon-Cary, citing lack of following procedures and lack of consultations with other government entities and stakeholders. For a body that does not always follow its own rules of order nor adhere to principles of good governance, much less executes its fundamental task of overseeing government, it is refreshing to see many of the old MPs and some of the newcomers asking questions about whether proper procedures are being followed and if the necessary consultations are being carried out. We hope…
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…
“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…
