Philipsburg:--- President of the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions, Theophillus Thompson said the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles that took place on October 10th, 2010 took St. Maarten and the other islands backwards instead of moving them forward. Thompson made his statements at WICLU's weekly press briefing on Thursday.
Thompson said his statements are based on the UN charter on decolonization. Thompson further explained that the Netherlands Antilles became into being after this charter when the Dutch Empire was dismantled after the Second World War. Thompson said after this period the Netherlands was the first country that began its dismantling process with its overseas territories within the Caribbean, this was followed by the British with their dismantling creating the West Indian Federation which did not last very long because the larger countries such as Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and other nations sought their independence. As for St. Maarten and Curacao with the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles they went right back under the Netherlands while the BES islands became part of the Netherlands.
Thompson said the United Nations has extended its decolonization period for the third time. He said the last time being from 2011 to 2020, it is clearly stated that there should be no more colonies in the world. Thompson said because of this the workers organizations on St. Maarten wants to know what is the vision of the various political leaders for the next ten years regarding constitutional changes based on the rights of the people to self determination, and the right to equality as nation taking its rightful place in the world. Thompson further explained that globalization has changed giving all countries despite their size a say since they have a vote and a right to participate in global activities.
Thompson said that while St. Maarten is a new nation that is trying to find its way forward there are possibilities to further develop and evolve if the right leadership is in place to take the country forward.
Thompson expounded on the need for education at an early age and said it is important for government to invest in its younger generation because it will create more employment and sustainability of economy is evident. The union head said the only thing St. Maarten has at this moment is the human resources and it is time for the island to claim its own.
Children Born on St. Maarten to Foreign Parents are St. Maarteners --- Human Rights Charter.
Thompson said there are a number of people that were born on St. Maarten to foreign parents. He said those persons that were born on the island are St. Maarteners based on the UN charter on equal rights and the rights of persons' states that the moment a child is born they are entitled to two things which are their basic the rights which are the right to a name and the right to a nationality. Thompson said a number of young people have been returning to the island to now claim their nationalities and this goes to show that the political and social leadership has not done their homework. Thompson said the new world order clearly dictates the structure and the social development of any country does not rest solely in the hands of politicians, instead that lies in the hands of the social structure of the country.
WIFOL Moving forward as they Defend Pelican Workers --- Trying to convene meeting with Minister of Labour.
The President of the Workers Institute for Organized Labour (WIFOL) told reporters on Thursday that the union has been trying to convene a meeting with the Minister of Labour Cornelius de Weever, but to date they are not able to obtain a response from the Minister.
Thompson said the union already met with some of the other stakeholders such as the labour department and the Minister of Economic Affairs but it is imperative that the union meets with the Minister of Labour to further discuss their concerns. Thompson said WIFOL will continue to defend the rights of the 92 workers that were not rehired by the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) because those workers maintained their rights by asking the company to provide them with their working contract so that they could study it prior to signing the contract. Furthermore, Thompson explained that the union wants to know when the Government of St. Maarten will resume its discussion on the Cessentia payments that were made by thousands of workers and the monies stayed in Curacao after the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles. Thompson said every worker on St. Maarten paid Naf. 40 per month to the Cessentia funds and those workers who were either laid off or are out of work because the companies they worked for filed bankruptcy cannot get their dues from the Cessentia because the monies is in an escrow account in Curacao. This, he said is part of the division of assets and liabilities which has to be finalized.
The WIFOL President said that the union intends to hold Government liable for the Pelican workers because the SBRMC filed for their dismissal under the Pelican Resorts Club and the labor department never dealt with their request. "Because the labour department did not do due diligence they are now responsible for these workers who are not able to collect unemployment or even their Cessentia payments."
