PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina said on Wednesday that there is “no justification for a continuation of a go-slow” by Fire and Ambulance personnel, as he has already committed in writing to meeting all of their demands.
Speaking during the live Council of Ministers press briefing, the Prime Minister said the union had requested a separate “commitment letter,” on the demands, but noted that he has sent several signed and stamped correspondences on his letterhead to the union, in which he has made a commitment. He said this already constitutes a full commitment. The union on Wednesday, however, maintained its demand for a commitment letter (see related story).
“If the Prime Minister of this country uses for his correspondence his letterhead, if he puts his authentic signature on all the documents, if he uses the stamp to actually validate the document — you have the letterhead, have my signature and you have your stamp in which I used the word ‘commit,’ we agree with the proposals — now all of a sudden, the same Fire Department wants, next to this correspondence, a commitment letter,” he said. “I think we are undermining the trust, the recognition of how people should communicate with each other in trust.”
He said that all letters sent to the union on October 24, November 5, November 7, and November 12 represent a commitment to resolving the three issues raised by the Fire Department. He shared an excerpt from a letter he sent to the union on Wednesday which read: “Considering the comprehensive details and commitments provided in my letters of October 3rd, October 24th, November 5th, and this letter of today, November 12th, I hereby reaffirm my stance that this correspondence, on the backdrop of the consistency of previous communications, constitutes a clear and substantive commitment letter,” Mercelina stated.
He stressed that government is “fully committed to actually accommodate and work on all the demands that have been requested from the Fire Department,” and therefore, “there is no justification for a continuation of a go-slow from the Fire Department.”
Mercelina began his comments on the matter by stressing that his government harbours “no hard feelings, no tension feelings towards the Fire and Ambulance Department.” He acknowledged that “for the past years there has been a neglect of the personnel of the Fire and Ambulance Department,” and said his administration is actively working to resolve long-standing issues that predate his tenure.
“These hard-working people have been knocking on the door of government for years,” he said. “Those in Parliament that had four years before me to solve that problem were also confronted with the same request that they came back to my government for me to solve with them. For that, I want to say that we are committed and we are in negotiations—there are some misunderstandings about moving forward.”
The Prime Minister outlined a series of correspondences between his office and the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) confirming his agreement on three main issues: the function book, the placement process, and retroactive payments. Letters dated October 24, November 5, and November 12 were sent to the union confirming these commitments, he said.
“In all these three letters, there is a full commitment of government to agree with all proposals inclusive of the mediator that they want now to continue the process of the function book, the placement process, and also the retroactive payment,” Mercelina stated.
Mercelina clarified that before his tenure, government had already started the process of developing a new function book. The Prime Minister explained that the creation of a new function book follows a structured process that begins with a draft. This draft is then reviewed by the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU), which represents public sector employees, including those under WICSU/PSU. After consultation amongst parties, the document is returned to government for final approval. Once ratified, the function book becomes the official framework governing the roles, responsibilities, and pay scales of civil servants, including those in the fire and ambulance departments.
He said that in February 2025, after a long process, the new draft function book was ratified and became the current official version for civil servants, including the fire and ambulance departments.
After the new function book was officially published in February 2025, some members of the Fire Department and their union indicated that they did not want to accept it. Prime Minister Mercelina said he agreed to revisit the document; however, he explained that doing so would delay both the placement process and the retroactive payments that depend on having a finalised function book. Once this was clarified, Mercelina said the Fire Department representatives decided to proceed with the existing 2025 function book to avoid further delays, with the understanding that it would still be reviewed and revised within the next three years.
He added that this agreement allowed government to move ahead with the placement process and subsequent retroactive payments for staff.
Mercelina noted that a national decree (Landsbesluit) must be established to formalise the placement committee and an objection committee, both required to ensure fair evaluation and processing of workers’ positions under the new function book. He said that the file to establish the legal framework for these committees was signed and sent to the Governor for ratification.
Once the placement process is completed, workers will become eligible for retroactive payments, the Prime Minister said.
