~ Residency permits not renewed, undocumented foreigners are asked to continue working~
PHILIPSBURG: --- For the past two days, the nursing staff of St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has been protesting the working and other conditions at the medical institution.
Board members of the Windward Island Health Care Union told media members on Thursday that they were forced to hold a meeting with the union members to update them on the situation the union faced when they showed up for a meeting on Thursday morning. Vice President of the WIHCUA Jackie Berkel said on Tuesday they were supposed to have the meeting, but SMMC management asked for it to be postponed since management was not ready to hold the meeting. The meeting, she said, was rescheduled for today, Thursday, March 20th, 2025, and when the board members of the union showed up, the management of SMMC was not prepared for the meeting. Berkel said they walked out of the meeting and met with their members when they were informed of the situation.
Shortly after, the union met separately to plan their way forward. During that meeting, a letter was sent to SMMC's management informing them that they have until Monday, March 24th, 2025, to get back to the union with solid solutions to their grievances and outstanding issues the union raised with them.
Berkel said that the SMMC nursing staff was not paid their Cost-of-Living Adjustments for the year 2024. Another issue plaguing the SMMC nursing staff is that the guest employees have been waiting for months to have their residency permits renewed.
Berkel explained that the foreign workers would submit their documents for their permits. Because of the time these applications are handled, the applicants have to resubmit documents because those they submitted in the first instance expired. Berkel said the staff have low morale, especially those who are now undocumented and cannot move around the island as freely as they would want. These workers, she said, are expected to show up to work, but their lives in St. Maarten are in limbo.
SMMC staff are also caught up in the Ennia saga and have asked management to address the issues surrounding their pensions, but those requests have fallen on deaf ears. Berkel said that the contract SMMC has with Ennia will expire at the end of 2025, and they have warned management that they do not wish to continue with Ennia. To date, they have not been given any feedback.
SMN News asked Berkel if the foreign specialists were also having issues getting their residency permits renewed. Berkel confirmed that was the case but said the union does not represent the doctors and, as such, was not in a position to speak for them.
Jules Carty, also a member of the union, said that the staff of SMMC have several concerns, one being the transition of the old hospital to the new hospital that is currently being constructed.
Carty made clear that having a new building constructed does not mean that there is a new hospital. He said that they have asked management to update the actions they are taking to recruit new and sufficient staff for the new hospital, but to date, they are not informed on the way forward.
Asked if the union board met with the Minister of Health and Labor, Richinel Brug, and if he was brought up to speed with the grievances that the nursing staff of SMMC faces. Carty said that in late 2024, the union met with the Minister, and to date, they have not received any feedback. “ When we met with the Minister, we outlined many serious concerns, one of which was the transition to the new general hospital. The staff of SMMC needs to know what the future holds for them because they have loans and other commitments they have made. We also informed the Minister and management of SMMC that St. Maarten Medical Center is not the only hospital in the region or the world. I want to make it very clear that we were all born in St. Maarten and love this island. St. Maarten is not the only beautiful place. These other hospitals are giving SMMC competitions, and SMMC is losing good staff.”
Carty further explained that even the simplest of things they have asked management to address and the only thing they want is for management to do their part.
When asked how it feels to know that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SMMC is also a local St. Maarten-born person who has been failing them, Carty said the CEO is not the only one failing them since there are other people around the CEO who also have a boss, as he refers to the Supervisory Board of Directors.
Minister Brug reacts to recent developments at Sint Maarten Medical Center.
Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, Mr. Richinel Brug, has been briefed about the ongoing labor situation between employers and employees at St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). The staff has expressed dissatisfaction with various issues, including working conditions and other matters at the institution. Concerns raised by the staff include the transition from the old hospital to the new facility, adjustments to the cost of living, and the Ennia pension plan, among others. The Ministry and the Minister's cabinet have reached out to the management of SMMC and the union. While the management of SMMC made statements to the Ministry that were similar to what was currently circulating in the media, the union representative was unwilling to share information at that particular time. Both the union and Minister Brug have indicated to the management of SMMC that they expect an update on this matter by Monday, March 24, 2025.
In the meantime, Minister Brug and the Ministry will continue to monitor the situation closely. The Government’s mediator remains readily available to assist the process if parties cannot reach a workable solution. However, the management of SMMC and the union have assured that patient care will not be compromised.
