Philipsburg:--- Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing that she will be scheduling a meeting with the GOA and the unions that are representing the civil servants to further discuss the non-payment of the Cost of Living Allowances which were to be paid out in January 2012 for the year 2010. Prime Minister Wescot Williams said that she plans to meet with the parties concerned before leaving to the Netherlands at the middle of this month.Civil servants and teachers are to receive a 3.2% increase as the COL (salary indexation) payments based on an advice issued by the GOA as well as an agreement that was made between the unions and the government. Wescot Williams told members of the media that due to the budget constrains for 2012 the monies were not budgeted for 2012 and as such the civil servants will not be getting the COL payments come January.
The Prime Minister said the first draft of the 2012 budget had a deficit of 100 hundred million guilders which government had to get rid of so they could meet the requirements of the CFT.
The Prime Minister refused to divulge any information as to how the Government of St. Maarten intends to deal with the matter which might cause labor unrest. Wescot Williams said she has no intention to discuss or divulge information to media prior to meeting with the GOA and the unions.
