PHILIPSBURG--The three unions representing members of the disciplined services gained some success during their meeting with United St. Maarten Party (USP) Member of Parliament (MP) Frans Richardson on Monday.
President of the ABVO union Charlon Cathalina said the unions were promised that their members will receive two sets of payments before the end of this calendar year. Cathalina said Prime Minister William Marlin also informed the union over the weekend that the payments will be made.
The payments include a bonus that civil servants who fall in a certain scale will receive and the other is an annual periodic increase the workers are entitled to. “This is one good news,” Cathalina, who was speaking on behalf of the three unions, told The Daily Herald after the meeting.
The Union President said workers who fall under the Justice system including Police, Immigration, Customs, Coast Guard and Prison guards, are expected to benefit from the payment. The payment was one of several grievances that the unions tabled in a meeting with Richardson on Monday.
Richardson confirmed that government has taken a decision to give a bonus to civil servants at a certain salary scale. He said too that the periodic increase for officers is also expected to be finalized before the end of the year. The paperwork for this, he added, is already being worked on.
Richardson said members of the disciplined services have been neglected for too many years and the issues affecting them have been ignored and went unaddressed and now is the time to address them.
“The meeting was partially successful, but we are still waiting on the new minister to be sworn in to address the other issues,” Cathalina said, noting that the frustrations of the unions’ members are growing by the day as the issues continue to be unaddressed.
The unions are expecting the new Justice Minister to meet with them two days after he is sworn in. The new minister is expected to be sworn in soon. Richardson said it can be sometime next week.
The unions are expected to meet again with Richardson on Wednesday for an update on matters. The unions also plan to meet with their members this Wednesday to update them on matters and to determine their next course of action.
At the meeting with Richardson Cathalina represented ABVO, Janice Richardson represented the NAPB Police union and the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) was represented by Debbie Rombley.
