PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot told reporters during the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions' press conference on Tuesday that the WITU is willing to accept the 50% of the COLA payment that was budgeted for them for the year 2011. Elshot said the GOA sent a letter to government informing them that the unions will not accept the 50% in a lump sum payment as suggested by government but they want that money indexed to the salaries of the civil servants. Another condition the unions set was that the Government of St. Maarten must budget the other 50% of the COLA payment for the year 2011 in the 2014 budget. Furthermore, the unions believe that the Government of St. Maarten must get its act together for the other years of COLA payments because they do not intend to continue fighting for what is duly owed to them. Elshot said that she personally did not inform her members as yet as to the decisions taken by the union even though during their last membership meetings the members of the various unions mandated their union representatives to ensure that they get their full 100% COLA payment for the year 2011. Elshot said the GOA and the union representatives have decided to settle for the 50% budgeted for the year 2011 because when they met with government they got information on the country's financial situation that they did not have before.
Elshot also gave reporters an insight of the conference that took place last week at the Westin Resort addressing Mental Health Care. She said that an association has been created to address the needs of Mental Health. One of the things Elshot said is missing within government structure is a department that would deal with policies for mental patients. Elshot said that teachers that attended the conference applauded the initiatives taken by the association because they believe they now have a place that they could refer students that need special care.
During the conference several issues were raised Elshot told reporters, she said the General Secretary of the CUT Virginia Albert Poyotte impressed on educators to postulate themselves in elections in order for them to bring about changes for education, especially since they do not believe that the education budget for any country should be cut due to global crisis. Elshot said according to the CUT speaker the lack of education is the main cause of the global crisis therefore monies should be spent on education in order to improve the situation, while educators who are no longer in public office should return to the classroom.
When SMN News asked Elshot if she realized that the three Education Ministers on St. Maarten since 10/10/10 were active educators, Elshot said it is a fact that all the Education Ministers on St. Maarten are educators but none of them got a fair opportunity to fulfill their plans and programs for education while in office. She said due to the current political situation, MPs are allowed to go independent and can create coups to throw the government down when they want and this is a dangerous and bad precedent. Elshot also agreed that the two former Ministers should head back to the classrooms if their positions are still available.
Another area tackled was the need to mandate and regulate early childhood education on St. Maarten. Elshot said there are only two schools that offer early childhood education which are the MAC School and the Christian Protestant School.
Elshot against Integrity Investigation Ordered by the Dutch.
The WITU President lambasted the Dutch when she was asked by SMN News for her opinion on the integrity investigation ordered by the Kingdom Council of Ministers. Elshot said the Dutch does not have the right to call for any integrity investigation on St. Maarten because St. Maarten cannot do the same for the Kingdom. "The Dutch is out of order, when St. Maarten can call for an integrity investigation in the Netherlands then it should be possible for the Netherlands to call for one on St. Maarten." Elshot said she believes the Dutch is out of order because when St. Maarten became a country in 2010 all the other islands that made up the Netherlands Antilles got their debt relief except St. Maarten. Elshot said she asked the elected officials on St. Maarten several times where is the monies they received for the debt relief and each time she was told that St. Maarten did not get those monies.
When asked if she feels an integrity investigation is warranted on St. Maarten, she said that in her opinion St. Maarten is need of Electoral and Tax Reform.
