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PHILIPSBURG--Teachers and civil servants marched to the Government Administration Building on Friday afternoon as they intensified their demand to be paid their full 5.3 per cent cost-of-living adjustment as stipulated in an August 2010 agreement with government.
Led by someone using a loudspeaker, the protesting workers chanted, "Don't let them do us like Pelican workers," "It's our money and we want it now," and "Payday taking too long to come," as they marched from L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium up Walter Nisbeth Road to the Government Administration Building where they continued their chanting.
They slowed down briefly when passing the Philipsburg police station and shouted and waved to some police officers who gestured in support of their action. Some of the workers commented loudly about the high utility bills as they passed the offices of utilities company GEBE. Representatives of the St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) marched along with the workers.
The number of workers who supported the afternoon march and who attended the meeting with their union leaders in the morning grew from 260 on Thursday to around 450 on Friday, the attendance list showed.
Representatives of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU), ABVO union and Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) delivered a counterproposal to government shortly after the procession reached the Government Administration Building. The unions requested that copies be delivered to Governor Eugene Holiday, to each Member of Parliament and to each minister.
The union representatives attempted to meet with one of the ministers after booking the letter around 2:20pm. However, no minister was in the building at the time.
Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger, Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto and Tourism Minister Franklin Meyers arrived shortly after and subsequently called an emergency meeting with representatives of the three unions.
Shigemoto was booed by the workers standing outside the building when he walked past them.
Following the 1�-hour-long meeting, the union representatives updated their members who had been waiting outside about the latest proposal from government. The workers were not happy with the proposal and rejected it. Shigemoto has been asked to submit this latest proposal in writing and this will be sent out to workers over the weekend for them to study. It is understood that another meeting will be convened at 7:30am Monday.
St. Maarten Health Care Union Association (SMHCU) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Gregory Arrindell delivered a letter of solidarity to the workers on behalf of the union. The letter was read to the workers while they were outside the Government Administration Building.
WICSU/PSU President William Reed told reporters a culture had developed in the former Finance Department, with civil servants encountering "problems" whenever payday came around. He said this culture remained alive in Country St. Maarten with Shigemoto, who had been a key official in the Finance Department for many years, and is now the Finance Minister.
He said the workers would be taking a firm stand against this culture and that "after this action Shigemoto would never put it in his head again to use power to deal with civil servants."
Reed said Country St. Maarten was a "brand new ballgame. ... Every time he [Shigemoto] disrespects us, this is what he is going to get."
The workers originally were scheduled to meet at John Larmonie Centre at 7:30am on Friday. However, the meeting was moved to the much bigger sports auditorium nearby. In addition to union representatives, National Alliance (NA) leader and Member of Parliament William Marlin addressed the workers during the morning session and expressed his solidarity with them (see related story).
WITU President Claire Elshot again condemned what she said were intimidation tactics being used against workers and stressed that this was something the unions would not tolerate. She said workers had a right to meet. She said some teachers had reported that they had been threatened with dismissal and no pay if they attended the meetings. This, Elshot said, is "unacceptable."
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