Dear Editor,
I am writing to bring to your attention the ongoing unfair practices at Hilton, Flamingo Beach Resort in the Timeshare Sales & Marketing Department that are negatively impacting local employees and potentially violating labor and taxation laws. These practices include:
1. Discrimination and Unfair Treatment:
Local employees are frequently subjected to discriminatory treatment, including harsher work conditions, lack of support, and retaliatory actions. Many have faced termination unjustly, which has fostered a hostile work environment.
2. Victimization of Local Staff:
Local employees are often singled out and victimized for expressing concerns or not conforming to the rigid, military-style management approach, which emphasizes control and intimidation rather than collaboration.
3. Preference for Foreign American Workers:
The company continuously hires mostly foreign American staff in preference to local employees. While diversity is welcome, this hiring practice seems to intentionally bypass local workforce participation and fair employment policies.
4. Tax Evasion Concerns:
There are indications that foreign staff are employed under arrangements designed to evade local taxation, undermining legal obligations and harming the community. They enter the Island territory on the pretense of being on vacation for three months, during which time they are working at Hilton. They then leave and go back to the United States or some other neighboring island for a few days, then return for another 3 months of work and continue to repeat the process.
These practices are not only unethical but also detrimental to the workforce, our local tax system, and the company’s reputation. I urge the government of St Maarten and the local authorities to look into these unlawful practices and to take the necessary and immediate action to address these issues.
• Ensuring fair treatment of all employees, regardless of their origin.
• Complying with local labor and taxation laws.
• Implementing a respectful and inclusive management style.
Authors name withheld upon request
