Philipsburg: --- Some thirty eight brigadiers on St. Maarten would finally receive their promotion confirmed Minister of Justice Magali Jacoba at a press conference on Thursday. The 38 brigadiers will now become Majors within the KPSSS.Minister of Justice Magali Jacoba said the only aspect that has to be worked out is how these officers would receive their salaries since the promotion is effective as of June 1 2010. She said they are currently awaiting the financial reports which would allow them to determine how these officers would be paid. Jacoba said they already have one report from the finance department but they have requested another report which is still outstanding.
Jacoba said federal government would have to pay out a lot of monies to these officers whose promotion was held up for years. She said the federal government might have to make some kind of agreement to pay these majors their retroactive pay in installments. She said a decision was made to promote the officers from brigadier to majors as of June 1 2010.
Brigadiers on St. Maarten staged a walk out last year when Minister of Justice Magali Jacoba was making her inaugural visit to the island. They demanded that the Minister do whatever in her power to make sure they receive their promotion. The NABP union who have been in discussion with the Minister over the past months demanded that the brigadiers be paid retroactively, since the officers were supposed to be promoted years ago.
