WILLEMSTAD, THE HAGUE - The trade unions in Curaçao are initially pleased with the announcement that their salary no longer needs to be cut. It remains to be seen whether and when civil servants, teachers and waste collector will receive their full wages.
For two years now, civil servants and employees of government institutions have been obliged to hand in 12.5 percent of their employment conditions. The Netherlands has made such a 'solidarity levy' a condition for the hundreds of millions in corona loans, but now offers 'room' to reverse the cut.
There is a cautiously positive response on the street and social media. “First see, then believe”, is what many people add. Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas also wants to await the official treatment of the Kingdom Council of Ministers next Wednesday for the details. He will also have to quickly come up with an answer as to where he will get the money to pay the full salaries.
'Teachers want to stop or leave Curaçao'
In the first instance, the Doen Education Association is pleased with the promise to abolish the 'solidarity levy'. At the same time, the union demands that teachers in Curaçao receive their full salary 'immediately'. Whether that will happen remains to be seen.
The cabinet in Curaçao must come up with a plan from The Hague on how to finance the full salaries, without taking out loans. The Netherlands is not prepared to fill that gap. The Aruban cabinet will gradually reverse the 12.5 percent cut: from July 5 percent and the rest in 2023.
Keeping teachers waiting even longer is not an option as far as Doen is concerned, Felipa emphasizes. “The measure has destroyed education. Since the pandemic, the workload has only increased.”
“We have to do two or three times as much as before the pandemic. Many teachers no longer have the motivation to invest in their work. They want to quit and switch to better-paid jobs or continue their profession in another country that does pay better.”
The education union has been in existence since the arrival of the 'solidarity levy'. “We feel that this salary cut is a stab in the back,” said president Marbella Felipa. “Since our inception, we have fought against this on all fronts and all areas.”
‘Teachers use their own vacation pay for their classroom’
Felipa wants to invest in education. “What is called vacation pay has been used by teachers in education for years to decorate classes and buy materials because there has been no money for this for years. Especially the teachers who work in primary education use their vacation pay for school purposes, such as buying school supplies so that they can teach in a decent way.
“In addition, such a cut destroys the motivation of colleagues,” says Felipa. “In a country where there is no education policy, you depend on the people who want to go the extra mile, but that motivation is now gone.”
'When exactly will the solidarity levy disappear?'
With the announcement by State Secretary Van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations), the education union of the Curaçao cabinet wants to hear exactly how the 12.5 percent cut on their employment conditions is being reversed. As far as the education union is concerned, the cut will be off the table as soon as possible.
The government union Abvo (General Union of Government and Other Personnel) is also 'very happy' with the announcement from The Hague. “The purchasing power of our civil servants has declined drastically in recent years,” says George Hernandez, Abvo board member.
“The index was astronomically high at the end of last year, causing the purchasing power of civil servants to decline by 3.4 percent in 2021. Added to this is the loss that salaries have not been indexed since 2013.”
Protests in Curaçao could not prevent budget cuts
In June 2020, hundreds of protesters took to the streets against the announced cuts. Several roads were then blocked with burning tires. Tensions ran high at the Fort Amsterdam government center. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of the Rhuggenaath cabinet.
The Dutch House of Representatives initially reacted with concern, but the measures such as the 'solidarity levy' were continued.
“The withholding of the 12.5 percent salary cut means that civil servants have fallen by 25 percent. We are therefore very pleased that the State Secretary has come up with the proposal," said Hernandez. The union is waiting to see what the cabinet will do next. “But it is very good news for us.”
The Hague wants top incomes to go down
A long-cherished wish from politicians in The Hague is that the top incomes at government companies and foundations in Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten to go down. The Dutch cabinet is talking about a salary cut of 25 percent. In addition, they are not allowed to earn more than 130 percent of what the prime minister gets.
According to Abvo, the top incomes need a transition period to be able to make the necessary adjustments. "It cannot be the case that top incomes are suddenly faced with a salary cut," Hernandez responds. “The life they lead is based on the income they earn now, so we propose to create a transition period of five years so that they can adjust their lives to the new salary.”
“In the Netherlands it is the case that top incomes have a lead time of five to seven years before the salary cut is applied, we propose that we also apply that here in Curaçao.”