Philipsburg:--- The President of the Workers Institute for Organized Labour (WIFOL) Theophillus Thompson plans to hold the Government of St. Maarten responsible for the non action of the Department of Labour, Thompson announced on Thursday.The WIFOL President explained that some 49 workers of the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company BV (SBRMC) and Royal Resorts Management Company Ltd (Former Pelican Resorts) are in limbo while they also did not receive their December 2011 salaries even though the company they worked for submitted a request at the Labour Department to terminate them. Thompson said based on the law, the Labour Department has six weeks to make a decision on the dismissal request but to date they have not done so. The Simpson Bay Resort Management Company BV (SBRMC) and Royal Resorts Management Company Ltd (Former Pelican Resorts) submitted the request since July 2011 and to date the Labour Department has not responded. "Because of the non action of the Labour Department, these workers don't know their status, they cannot move on with their lives neither can they seek employment elsewhere."
Thompson also announced on Thursday during the union's weekly press briefing that the legal representatives of WIFOL and the Pelican workers are working on strategic ways to make sure the rights of the Pelican workers are respected based on the Collective Labour Agreement, as well the standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Human Rights charters on domestic and immigration workers, and the country's constitution.
The WIFOL President assured media workers that the union is prepared for the challenges of 2012 even though they know that employers are always protected through various law firms. He said as a unionist it is "mind boggling" for him when he sees the silence on the part of Government while the struggle with the Pelican workers continue. "It is amazing to see and witness the silence of the Ministers of Tourism and Labour on this matter. As a union we will also hold the Minister of Labour responsible for not doing enough to resolve the Pelican issue." Thompson said in his opinion Government is responsible for paying the workers of Pelican especially those that are still waiting on a response from the Labour Department.