I would like to congratulate the minimum wage earners of this country with respect to the annual minimum wage indexation that they will be receiving retroactive to January 1, 2013. This is long overdue and under the UP/DP Government, it was a priority to get this implemented within our term of Government, however, due to a change in government, we still commend the Minister of Labour Cornelius de Weever for seeing this through.
The UP faction also welcomes the increase in the pension for senior citizens; however, we also would like to get information from the Minister responsible Cornelius De Weever with respect to how many pensioners will receive this increase.
The UP faction has taken note of the concerns of the St. Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association First Vice President Raymond Jessurun where he states that the persons who will collect a pension of Naf.1000 are only persons who had been working in the former Netherlands Antilles for 45 years that will be entitled to this maximum amount once it goes into effect.
The UP faction favours the increase in the pension for our seniors as the costs of living impacted by world fuel prices increases prices of goods in the supermarkets. The UP faction will be making use of its right to question the Minister of Social Development with respect to this issue and a letter will be forthcoming via the President of Parliament.
Sylvia Meyers
Interim Faction Leader, Member of Parliament, United People's (UP) Party faction