St. Martin News Network

What a shame, what a failure! To gouvern you need some skills, but more important, you need to have a basic idea about your responsibilities. Leaders, yes, good leaders are hard to find. Bla bla and selling excuses won't get us nowhere.

lmfao,,that was a good 1,,,

All over the world they have freezing of wages, but not on SXM. Another difference is that adjustments sometimes take years. Negotiations on adjustments for 2011 should have taken place already. Topic too hot. Nobody wants to touch it. Neither the pensionable age.

I say: go for what is promised to you, but be reasonable in future negotiations.

I say unless the people demand the government out of office these promises will continue until death. No guts no glory. How long do we need more negotiations? Why the whole country is is expected to make sacrifices except the lords of government? That cheap insulting letter is for the consumption of fools! How come they didn’t forget to include their overpaid salary in the 2012 budget? Simply, because Ms. Sara and Sacimoto representing government, have no respect for teachers nor civil servants and less for the institution that represents them. Being nice while being oppress is for the week at heart.

And what about the retired civil servants and teachers ??
They are really the FORGOTTEN ones !

@ Sjaoel

All over the world there is price control also, but not on SXM. Do not be one sided.

@Please:

That is another topic and there is a lot to say about that. I am an advocate for the curbing down of the ever increasing cost of living oppose to increasing wages.

The two major influences on the cost of living are rent and utility bills. Like in the Netherlands a maximum price per square meter rent of residential space should be established. This to control the ridiculous amounts tenants are being charged nowadays (this would indirectly also influence the housing market in a positive way for those who want to buy a house).

GEBE.......sigh.......bills need to go down period.

2010 indexation is 3.2 percent. This would not have been the case if our EC at the time would have acted proactive. Our MP's have the change to do something about it as well as to control government spending better (including their own salaries, perks, benefits, trips etc)

So, I'm not one sided at all. It's just not the topic.

@ All especially van Putten. V. Putten go to Anguilla and get your money back that the person stole from you after you went to jail for stealing the employees money when they were in yhe Union. Maybe you can get that back and give it to Claire to pay herself and members the money she is looking for. She is quite unreasonable. Be glad there is still money in the pot at Government. When it is op it is op. Who she going to for payments. Doesn,'t she know no judge is going to compelled whoever to pay if they are bankrupt. Then you have more than a Pelican Saga. Is that what WITU wants.? Let her pay indexation to her employees at the illegal school and also raise their salary as they are earing less than 700 dollars on a monthly basis. How is it possible to pay that amount and government has not said anything about that situation as yet. I think government should look into it now and close that illegal school. Just forbid it. Collecting enough money from parents to pay her employees better but attacking government when she is not setting an example at her illegal school. Illegal says it already. Illegal is illegal. Shut her establishment down as the educational goals are not met there. One thing I know noone can get blood or water out of a stone.
Let Claire talk also about her salary she gets monthly from government and not hitting a stroke of work for it. She also gets her increasements yearly. Is that fair????? Her salary can pay atleast 3 or 4 pensioners or teachers or more with the money she receives monthly

I say that the only language this government can understand is a strike. So what we have to do is lay down our tools and don't wrok untill this matter is resolved.
Mp's are receiving a big salary and most of them do not even have an educational background as most of our teachers. It is a bloody shame how things are done on this beautiful island.

WOW STRANGE THESE WIZZARDS AND WEASELS DID NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT IN THE BUDGET BUT YET THEIR WHOPPING SALARIES AND BIG BENEFITS!!!!!

LET'S GUESS WHY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN OMIITTED OR COULD HAVE BEEN AN OVERSIGHT!!!!!

OH MY CRYSTAL BALL SAYS BECAUSE THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT FIGURE IS MUCH SMALLER THAN THE WHOPPING SALARIES AND BIG BENEFITS FOR MINISTERS AND PARLIAMENTARIANS AS A RESULT IT WAS NOT SO EASY READABLE,OK.

"....discussions must be initiated about the continued feasibility of this manner of indexation."

In other words, the ministers are already letting you know that in the future, they do not intend to continue paying out this indexation.
As civil servants themselves, Sarah and Hiro are receiving this indexation also, but I guess with their minister's salary, they do not need or can do without the indexation. That teacher or that civil servant who can hardly make ends meet, needs it badly, so stop the crap and pay out the people their money.

There is no need for freezing of wages on St. Maarten, because wages have been permanently fossilized centuries ago on this island, just like the dinosaurs.

You tell Pleaser that price control was not the topic, but freezing of wages which you introduced was not the topic either. You are indeed being one sided when you want to talk about whatever you want, but others should not rebut to what you stated. Come on!

@ALSO @ SJAOEL:

As you can see I did not say that Pleaser should not react on my comment. As a matter of fact I did also react on Pleaser's comment which was not the topic (cost of living). It was mere showing that I did not want to make a long comment deviating from the topic.

There is lots to say about freezing of wages and curbing down the cost of living. I would gladly take part in a debate pertaining such a topic.

As I stated: on SXM it takes years before adjustments are being made or promisses are being kept without hesitation.

Unfortunately you can not solve the problem by giving everybody on SXM more money. This would only attract more illegal foreign labor who will send money home where it is worth more than on SXM, it will deviate investors and it will decrease job opportunities (price of legal labor would be too high).

On the other side: what happens to the quality of life? Environment, traffic, public works, health, education, safety, decent living space, nutrition etc. Some of these things we pay for collectively via taxes and other things we pay for individually (rent, food, clothes, utility bills, etc). In order to make sure that each individual can enjoy the quality of life it is goverments duty to safe guard the common interest by collecting taxes and spend them wisely and in an accountable fashion. It is also government's duty to have price control on food products and in my opinion also on residential rental space. Next to that: our utilities supplier has a monopoly and is owned by THE PEOPLE (country SXM is THE PEOPLE). Therefore, those who run the country ought to make sure that the costs of utilities should be limited for THE PEOPLE.

So, to recap: increase of wages is not the answer, but control on government spending and good governance are.

That is my point and if it is one sided so be it.

Dun Wid It!!

While it is convenient to talk about steeling people's money and putting it in Anguilla be a*sured that Mr. Eldridge van Putten is extremely PROUD of being one of only unions that made abusive hotels owners paid workers. None of the workers didn’t pay any union dues for years on in actually got money. Even many worker who did not deserved a dime got money. However, if that is the best justification you come up with to condone MP's blatant self-enrichment political schemes then that is more reason for the population to demand criminal investigation and prosecution. The days of systematic oppression, tolerance of bad governance and nepotism is over. Today the world has shining examples of how to treat gready world cla*s political oppressors. Sad to say their day is soon coming! Thank you very much.

@ Sjaoel "Shooz" Richardson. Four thumbs up. Knowledge and understanding is truly refreshing. And brother, your last comment there is an A

pure rhetoric. TAKE TO THE STREETS. we want our money

Lets do it again this time we closed down everything.