Don’t kill the goose
Events in Aruba should be closely monitored in St. Maarten. The public sector unions there have been on strike for two weeks to demand salary indexation, and there is no end in sight.
Government says it simply cannot give in to the unions’ demands because it does not have the finances and doing so would be irresponsible. The courts have upheld the right of the protesters to strike, even for workers of emergency services such as the Fire Department. The teachers also are on strike and most students have not had classes for all this time, with all possible consequences.
Without going into details on who is wrong or right, there is one aspect that is of particular interest to St. Maarten: The unions first marched to the airport and hampered travellers from leaving and going in, and then the airport fire fighters went on strike, which meant the airport could not guarantee safety on at least one occasion and several flights were diverted elsewhere.
The effect of that for tourism destinations such as Aruba, but also St. Maarten, can be far-reaching, of course. Having just recuperated from the fallout from Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, Aruba can ill afford the current situation and possible consequences for its reputation.
Now American Airlines is threatening to cancel all its weekend flights if an adequate number of fire fighters at the airport cannot be guaranteed, because it fears more actions. The airline calls the situation on the island “unstable.”
While the right to strike is an internationally recognised principle, one would have to question the wisdom of focussing the actions on the airport to the point where flights are affected. When that happens, it has the effect of endangering the tourism economy.
In the coming weeks and months people in St. Maarten are going to start feeling the pinch of higher prices caused by skyrocketing fuel prices and transport cost. While it may be tempting for local unions to seek salary increases to compensate their members, they should resist such temptation, because it will merely lead to even higher prices and make the island too expensive for visitors as well.
Considering also the real estate and financial crisis in the US, by far St. Maarten’s biggest tourism market, it appears there are tough times ahead. The community as a whole will have to carry the consequences together and in any case not take action that could amount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Give us your opinion on this story ![[new]](/images/new.gif)
Post a message on our message board! Click Here!
