WILLEMSTAD - The minimum wage in Curaçao will soon be increased. This was announced by the Minister of Management, Planning and Services Ornelio 'Kid' Martina. The minister says this in response to the bonus of 1750 guilders for civil servants.
The bonus was met with criticism from the community and questions from Governor Lucille George-Wout. The content of these questions is secret, but according to Martina they have been answered satisfactorily. “There must be a difference between the government as an employer and the government as a custodian of the public interest,” says Martina. According to the minister, the civil servants have had to work very hard in recent years and had to give up a lot. The minimum wage will soon be raised to accommodate the rest of the population, explains Martina. Minister of Labor and Social Development Ruthmilda Larmonie-Cecilia said when asked that the bill for the wage increase is currently in the advisory round.
All civil servants, including employees who fall in the higher salary scales, receive the same bonus of 1750 guilders.