Ministry will publish list of payroll subsidy recipients

PHILIPSBURG – The Ministry of Finance will publish the list of employers that have received payroll support after the regulation that makes publication possible is in place. The list has already been sent to the Department of Labor Affairs and Social Services.

The Ministry of Public Health, Social Affairs and Labor (VSA) encourages employees who have not received their rightful salary to come to the department for assistance. If mediation with the employer does not solve their situation, the department will provide legal assistance.

In another press release, Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion announces that he has sought counsel from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the central bank, the Social Economic Council (SER) and unspecified ‘high councils’. This is an apparent reference to the Ombudsman and the Council of Advice.

Minister Irion is seeking counsel on “the impact of implementing several infamous conditions” the kingdom imposed on the country. He has asked the IMF and the Central Bank for an analysis of the impact these conditions will have on St. Maarten’s economy.

The press release states that the minister “would like to ensure that the conditions do not send us into an economic and social tailspin,” followed by a rather cryptic quote: “Though we as a people are resilient, it should never be the case that we are forced to see our limitations unnecessarily.”