PHILIPSBURG:--- Congratulations to GEBE and the people of St. Maarten on the full ownership of the shares of the company.
Now that we are the sole owners of our utility company GEBE NV we need to eliminate a very dark page in the history of the company. For many years GEBE has made use of the services of a group of people, who are in the service of one or more so called temporary employment agencies.
I am sure that everyone understands that any labor relation (agreement) that has endured for decades can NOT be called a temporary situation any longer.
The time is now most appropriate for GEBE to do the right thing for these workers, who have physically worked in the trenches under the worst of conditions and in the administration, in some cases more than thirty years. These persons have been robbed over the years as they cannot obtain a loan from a bank to buy a piece of land, build a house or let alone planned properly for their future.
Registering them retroactively with the pension fund and putting them on the company's payroll in the correct scales would be a good place to start.
After working so long and hard for our utility company, why shouldn't these brothers and sisters be able to enjoy a decent salary and pension, as those who enjoy the protection of a union within the company?
When I decided to join the political arena, I did so with the conviction that I will join a political party that will want to do right for all those persons that are being treated unfairly in our society. We want to assure all those persons who are presently working under employment agencies that we will be forwarding a proposal to the Parliament of St. Maarten within short to curb the abuse that exist now within the functioning of these agencies in collaboration with various companies.
Click here to view the letter OSPP sent to GEBE.