WILLEMSTAD - Employees of the Campo Alegre brothel can count on a portion of their salary that will be paid through the Social Insurance Bank (SVB), including a 9.5 percent AOV premium.
The money comes from funds allocated from the Emergency Measure Bridging Employment (NOW). This is confirmed by the spokesperson for the SVB. According to this institute, this concerns 79 employees, but according to Kenneth Valpoort of the Horecaf union, 83 are involved, including non-prostitutes.
Campo made a request for NOW benefits and was also allocated and paid out, but subsequently the money never reached the employees. Then a group of workers led by Valpoort went to government center Fòrti to complain.
Ultimately, the Minister of Economic Development (MEO), Giselle Mc William, made sure that the NOW money for Campo has been refunded, so that the personnel can be paid directly from this. In a letter to Valpoort, director John Loth indicated that he would not be able to pay a 100 percent salary, which is a requirement if the NOW scheme is used.
Campo mainly suffered a loss of turnover from the rents that the residents of the brothel - the prostitutes - have to pay for the rooms. A large proportion of them left, except for 24 women of Colombian descent who were unable to return due to the closure of the borders. They no longer pay the rent because the income for them has also disappeared.
Loth reportedly asked staff to agree to payment of 80 percent of their salary, which was refused. He also indicated that he would otherwise have to file for bankruptcy.