New mediator expected to
be appointed in September
WILLEMSTAD--St. Maarten will soon have an extraordinary mediator to deal with tense labour matters on the island. It is hoped that the new mediator will be appointed in September.
Minister of Labour Affairs Elvis Tjin Asjoe met with Labour Commissioner Louie Laveist last week on matters such as decentralisation of the Labour Department, the tense labour situation in St. Maarten, and the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The Minister said he had been involved in negotiations with the Island Territory of St. Maarten on labour matters for months. He also stated in a press release that he had spoken to, among other persons, Willy Haize, advisor to United Federation of the Windward Antilles UFA, the union that represents workers in major companies in St. Maarten such as GEBE and the airport
According to UFA, government mediator Kenneth Lopes can no longer deal with the work as required. The reason given by UFA is that several conflict situations have been pending a resolution for too long.
Many government workers are pressuring government to appoint a new mediator, the press release stated.
Tjin Asjoe listened to all arguments and stated that Lopes was a pensioner who had been helping out temporarily until a new mediator was appointed. The selection procedure for a new mediator has already started and the Minister hopes he or she will be appointed by September.
In light of the urgent situation in St. Maarten, Tjin Asjoe asked former Prime Minister Suzy Camelia-Römer and Professor Frank Kunneman to conduct an independent investigation on the labour situation in St. Maarten. A preliminary report indicated that things were not as they were supposed to be.
The Minister said an extraordinary mediator would be appointed for the time being, while the final report was pending. The temporary mediator’s main goal will be to restore calm in the labour market while the procedure of selecting among applicants for the mediator function is being finalised.
The Minister hopes the final report will be ready within a month. The final report will give the basis for the appointment of an extraordinary mediator.
Laveist also made use of the opportunity to discuss the decentralisation of the Labour Department with the Minister.
The draft law to decentralise the Labour Department was sent to Parliament and discussed in the Central Committee in October 2007. Tjin Asjoe said he would forward a letter to the president of Parliament indicating that he would answer questions posed in the Central Committee verbally during the public meeting in which the draft law is discussed.
In the letter, he said he would also request Parliament to give priority to the draft law on decentralising the Labour Department. Tjin Asjoe said he was aware of the fact that labour inspection has been a major problem in both Curaçao and St. Maarten.
One of the main purposes of Laveist’s meeting with the Minister was to find solutions for this problem. The Minister indicated that he had already instructed the Directorate of Labour Affairs to start training personnel in St. Maarten in the field of labour inspection.
