Philipsburg:--- Several persons including the visitors arriving on St. Maarten were confronted with a number of workers carrying placards as they protested silently in front of Parliament House on Tuesday and at the Government Administration Building. The protest started out as a peaceful demonstration while their union representatives engaged in meetings with elected officials. At times, the workers were heard chanting "Politics is tricks, we want our work back or pay us out."The protest started in front of Parliament House in Philipsburg as some of the Parliamentarians were engaged in an Inter-Parliamentary meeting. Tuesday's meeting was aimed at discussing the current labor issues on St. Maarten, mainly the legal struggle facing the workers of Simpson Bay Resort Management Company.
The workers armed themselves with posters condemning the current labor situation on St. Maarten and Member of Parliament Jules James. It should be noted that the legislator is also the General Manager Simpson Bay Resort Management Company BV (SBRMC) and Royal Resorts Management Company Ltd some of the workers openly condemned the United Peoples Party, claiming they are the "UPressors" and wanted to know if another election was around the corner if they would have been out of work. Another poster reads " Murder of People 182 victims: MP Jules James", while another one reads "Justice for all" and "People of St. Maarten open your eyes. Today is Pelican, Tomorrow ???."
The meeting with the various stakeholders started at10am and lasted over four hours. The workers then moved over to the Government Administration Building where they continued to protest as the Chamber of Labor Unions met with the Minister of Labor Cornelius de Weever.
It should be noted that several members of the current coalition expressed outrage at MP La Ville for scheduling a meeting with the unions unknowing to them, SMN News overheard some Members of Parliament saying that La Ville did not inform his own faction members of the meeting he scheduled with the various stakeholders. "La Ville is the one that caused the Pelican workers to be protesting outside here today and he did not tell us neither did he tell his coalition partners the Democratic Party." However, when the inter-parliamentary meeting concluded the members of the UP faction joined the meeting La Ville chaired in the conference room of Parliament House.
It should also be noted that while there were three meetings in the house of parliament on Tuesday. Member of Parliament Jules James did not attend those meetings. One source said that La Ville called James early Tuesday morning and informed him about the protest and also advised him to stay away from Parliament House. However, when interviewed by SMN News the Member of Parliament said he received an email from Jules James informing him that he would not have been able to attend any of the meetings on Tuesday since he was going to be off island. La Ville said James also sent the same emails to his other colleagues, even though he had agreed before hand to attend the meeting with the stakeholders. "I did not have any phone contact with the man on Tuesday so I don't know how people can say I called him." When asked if he informed his faction about the meeting with the stakeholders La Ville said all members of the United Peoples Party Faction were aware and they also agreed to the meeting. However, he did admit that he did not inform his coalition partners the Democratic Party.
Member of Parliament Romain La Ville and some members of his faction met with the various stakeholders on Tuesday as they tried to find solutions to the current labor situation on St. Maarten. The meeting consisted of members of the Chamber of Labor Unions, the Chamber of Commerce, the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association ( SHTA) the Small Business Development Foundation (SBDF) and the Timeshare Association.President of the Windward Islands Institute of Organized Labor (WIFOL) Theophillus Thompson described the meeting as frank and open even though the Members of Parliament from the United Peoples Party Faction did not make any commitments to regulate the current labor unrest on St. Maarten. Thompson said the Chamber of Labor Unions was able to discuss a number of issues with the legislators. One such issue is the agreement made in 2008 with the island government and the establishing of a tripartite committee. "We informed the Members of Parliament about that agreement and if that was in place in the new setting as country St. Maarten then there would have been no need for court cases and the Pelican saga would have been resolved." Thompson said he also took the opportunity to inform the Members of Parliament (UP faction) about the current status of the former Pelican workers who are at their wits end and might explode at anytime should they not able to work. When asked if the Chamber of Labor Unions addressed the conflict of interest that is committed by Member of Parliament Jules James, Thompson said the unions and other stakeholders expressed their concerns about the roles the Member of Parliament is playing. "One day he is a legislator and the other day he is a General Manager that is firing people left, right, and center." Thompson said the labor sector managed to vent their feelings and there was a lot of frustration expressed. He said they also expressed their lack of confidence in the politicians and the executive bodies for not portraying what the new St. Maarten should be. He said what is happening now was not possible during the days of the Netherlands Antilles. He said the current government is more like a "wait and see" rather than being proactive.
Member of Parliament Romain La Ville told reporters that he felt it was important to hold a meeting with all stakeholders to find a proper solution to several situations presently taking place on St. Maarten. La Ville said that each representative expressed their concerns on the tripartite agreement of 2008 and he will be sending a letter to the Minister of Labor requesting that the tripartite committee be set up urgently. Another concern for the Chamber of Labor unions is to know exactly which labor policy the Department of Labor is using to process labor permits. The Member of Parliament said the Chamber of Labor Unions also feels that the legislators should establish a labor court to deal with the labor cases on St. Maarten. La Ville described Tuesday's meeting as a down payment to fix some of the current issues and the time has come for them to put pen to paper to fix the labor problems. Another concern is the social responsibility of the businesses and the elected officials.
When asked if the United Peoples Party Faction have made any commitments to the WIFOL or the Chamber of Labor Unions to address the Member of Parliament Jules James who is operating in conflict of interest. La Ville who did not give a straight answer to the question said his faction met on more than one occasion to discuss the issue but no concrete decision has been taken.
He made clear that Parliament cannot do anything to overrule the court's ruling. When asked if he is not able to deal with MP Jules James who is committing moral misconduct as a parliamentarian and General Manager of company. La Ville said there have been meetings as a faction to deal with the "uncomfortable issue".
Click here to view photos of the Peaceful Protest by the SBRMC Workers.
