�Removal won't be requested�
PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Jules James, whose position as Director of the new Pelican Resort Club companies came in for criticism after some 200 workers were asked to sign six-month contracts, says the issue surrounding the resort is not about him, it is about the workers.
James said he had never campaigned against the six-month labour contract in the run-up to the September 2010 elections. Asked for his position on short-term contracts, James said the law could be looked at from the standpoint of abolition or modification. "I personally think that it should be modified with specific conditions on how and when [a short-term contract should be applied], if used, [rather] than a complete abolition of it ? that's my personal stance on it."
James said he would abstain from voting on it if the issue were put to vote in Parliament. He said he was not the only parliamentarian with a dual position, but it appeared as though the Pelican issue had been narrowed down to focus on him and his earnings.
"Yes I'm working to collect a salary ... but for whatever reason the issue has been tightened down to look at the nitty-gritty of Jules' salary. Jules is certainly not the only one with two jobs and, of course, the bigger issues that one must not forget are the employees. That is the issue. ...
"The issue is not one's salary, it's not the dual function, it's the people at Pelican and that's what should be focussed on. I am working as an MP and at Pelican ? whether I am receiving a full-time salary sounds like it's an issue."
Major strides were made in the Pelican issue over the past few days when the new company agreed to take on the 200 staffers indefinitely after intense negotiations by the union and mounting pressure from the community. A collective labour agreement (CLA) is still to be worked out which will set the conditions under which the workers will continue their indefinite service.
Regarding Pelican's new owner, James explained that said owner's and Royal Resorts' approach to the union had been one of what many would consider sound business principles. That, he added, is not the only consideration and not always the best course for a successful business.
"What most people are not aware of is that the collective labour agreement with the union that was in place at the resort was one of the most expensive on the island, with some of the highest benefits to the workers. The new company is concerned about its long time viability and success and thus is looking at keeping its start-up expenses to a manageable fashion," James said.
He added that privately he had been very critical of this approach and had been using his influence as general manager with Royal Resorts and the new owner to reach a common ground.
"Having worked my way up, I am more aware than most of the importance of respect for the workers if you want to get their loyalty and best performance. A stable workforce is key to long-term success. We are making real progress in coming to agreement with the union and the new principals, but again, this is a delicate process that concerns the future of the resort operations, its timeshare owners and the future of the workers' wellbeing that is not always best played out in the media," James said.
The law does not prohibit James from retaining his second post. Other parliamentarians, including National Alliance (NA) Parliamentarian Dr. Lloyd Richardson, a Social Insurance Bank control doctor, and UP Parliamentarian Dr. Ruth Douglass, who has a private practice, also have second jobs.
James said he was not cheating the people of St. Maarten. He said he had competent people working for him at Pelican and did not need to be at the resort from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. Asked whether he would retain both positions he said, "At the appropriate time I will say what I intend to do."
Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger told reporters in a rare appearance at the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday that as UP leader he wouldn't be requesting that James "be removed," as there was nothing in the law against dual positions. He said the only issue was that James wouldn't be able to vote in Parliament if an issue came up regarding Pelican, though he would be able to debate, as it was "his good right" to do so.
UP faction leader in Parliament Romain Laville submitted a request to President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell on Tuesday afternoon for a Central Committee meeting on the Pelican issue to which the resort principals and union representatives would be invited.
A similar meeting request had been submitted by opposition National Alliance (NA) earlier on Tuesday. Arrindell has a maximum of 14 days to call these two meetings.
James said parliamentarians did a lot of work behind the scenes and the parliamentary system had an accounting system in place. "Whatever an MP does is not only debating on the floor, but also a lot of work behind the scenes, so one cannot quantify, whether he says so or not, what one is doing."
Asked for his opinion on statements by Constitutional Affairs Project Director Dennis Richardson that while there are no laws barring a parliamentarian from holding a second job, doing so was unethical, James said he respected Richardson's opinion: "The beautiful thing about a democracy is that people have the freedom of speech and I respect his opinion."
He added that his choice of whether he intended to stay on indefinitely as the general manager of Pelican Resort now that he has taken on the position as an MP will be made known in a future statement.
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