DEN HAAG - An employee of the Cabinet of the Plenipotentiary Minister of Curaçao has publicly alleged that his salary was withheld in an attempt to pressure him into cooperating with a termination arrangement. The employee, Jordan Pietersz, made the claims in a press release, against the backdrop of ongoing unrest surrounding the Curaçao House in The Hague.
According to Pietersz, his salary payments were stopped even though he remains formally employed by the Cabinet of the Plenipotentiary Minister of Curaçao. He describes the measure as a coercive tool intended to force him into so-called exit mediation.
Pietersz argues that mediation should be voluntary, but says it is being presented to him as a condition, with the alternative explicitly framed as dissolution of his employment contract through the courts. In his statement, he characterizes this approach as incompatible with principles of good employment practice.
The employee further alleges that there is a culture of fear within the organization. According to Pietersz, staff members who previously raised concerns or reported issues have faced non-renewal of contracts or termination procedures, often justified by claims of a breakdown in trust. He states that this has made colleagues reluctant to speak out.
Pietersz places his situation within the context of recent political developments surrounding the Curaçao House. Despite the adoption of a motion in the Curaçao Parliament and the decision to place the Plenipotentiary Minister on non-active status, he claims that earlier power dynamics continue to influence personnel policy. The argument of “lack of trust,” he says, is still being used to push employees toward departure.
He also expresses concern about what he describes as the deliberate escalation of labor disputes toward proceedings before the subdistrict court. According to Pietersz, this carries the risk of cases being lost, potentially resulting in compensation payments funded by public money, solely to remove employees who have made reports or raised concerns.
In his press release, Pietersz calls on Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas and the Curaçao Parliament to intervene. He warns that fundamental principles such as good governance, the rule of law and the protection of whistleblowers are under pressure. “Transparency, independent oversight and a safe working environment are not privileges, but basic conditions within a public institution,” he states.
Pietersz has previously been mentioned in media reports concerning alleged irregularities at the Curaçao House. In that context, it became known that the Openbaar Ministerie had received a letter containing allegations of corruption via the office of the Governor, but that the document was not submitted as a formal complaint.
The Public Prosecution Service indicated at the time that it could not initiate a criminal investigation without an official report or complaint. That earlier reporting contributed to political questions and a motion in Parliament calling for an investigation into the management and functioning of the Curaçao House.
The Cabinet of the Plenipotentiary Minister has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
