PHILIPSBURG:--- The process of selecting St. Maarten’s worker delegation for the upcoming International Labour Organization (ILO) conference has become complicated, following the emergence of two conflicting sets of nominations. While a coalition of five unions unanimously selected a representative, another union independently submitted a different list of names to the Department of Labor, creating confusion over who will rightfully represent the island’s workforce.
The Department of Labor recently initiated its annual standard procedure, requesting that all local labor unions submit their operational documents. This includes Articles of Incorporation, Chamber of Commerce registrations, and current membership data. This yearly review is crucial for verifying that all unions are compliant with local regulations and for determining the composition of the tripartite delegation sent to the ILO conference.
This delegation is structured to include government advisors, a government-paid representative, and one representative for all workers' organizations. For the unions, reaching a consensus on this single workers' representative is a key step.
In an effort to reach this consensus, five unions—WICSU/PSU, WIHCUA, WIFOL, NAPB, and WITU—met on January 8, 2026. During this meeting, the attendees unanimously nominated the President of the Windward Islands Civil Servant Union and Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU), Sharon Canigieter, to be the official workers' delegate at the ILO.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn when the ABVO union, which was absent from the January 8 meeting, submitted its own letter to the Department of Labor. Unbeknownst to the other unions, ABVO’s correspondence proposed a completely different delegation, which included two representatives from their own union and two from the police union NAPB, among others.
This unilateral action by ABVO has undermined the collaborative decision made by the five unions and has prompted the Department of Labor to scrutinize the legitimacy of the competing claims. The department is now tasked with determining the valid representative based on the official documentation submitted by all parties. The submission deadline is January 30, 2026.
The other unions involved have formally communicated their decision from the January 8 meeting to the Department of Labor, contesting the delegation proposed by ABVO. The outcome now rests on the department's verification process. Unions that fail to provide complete and updated documentation risk being excluded from the final decision, potentially losing their voice at this important international forum. As the deadline approaches, the labor community awaits a resolution that will clarify who will officially speak for St. Maarten's workers.