Silveria Jacobs
PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs presented the legislative changes to three national ordinances for implementation of the cost-cutting measures per the conditions for receiving the second tranche of liquidity support from the government of the Netherlands, during a closed-door working meeting of the Committee of General Affairs of Parliament on Thursday.
To meet these conditions St. Maarten drafted three amending National Ordinances for the cost-cutting measures to be enforceable.
Temporary National Ordinance to amend the employment conditions of political authorities. This draft National Ordinance temporarily reduced the employment conditions of political authorities by 25 per cent as of July 1, 2020.
Temporary National Ordinance COVID-19 cuts employment conditions for civil servants. This draft National Ordinance temporarily reduced personnel cost by adjusting the terms of employment of public servants by 12.5 per cent as of July 1, 2020.
Temporary National Ordinance on the standardisation of top incomes and adjustment of employment conditions at (semi) public sector entities will standardise top incomes and reduce the employment conditions by 12.5 per cent as of July 1, 2020, within the (semi) public sector to meet the conditions set by the Dutch government.
During the meeting there was a misunderstanding concerning what documents were confidential and what could be shared openly with the Members of Parliament (MPs) pertaining to the country package agreements concluded in December 2020. These documents formed part of a Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting which also included letters from State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and the Interior Raymond Knops, and as such were classified as confidential.
Jacobs and her support staff clarified what is confidential and what is not. As the country package agreements have now been signed and therefore established, it is now a document that can be shared openly. Jacobs apologised to MPs for “the misunderstanding.”
She said in a press release issued late Thursday night that unanswered questions posed by MPs will be sent in writing to Parliament before the handling of the National Ordinances in a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament to be held on Monday, January 25.
