SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – Today, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs attended a closed-door working meeting of the Committee of General Affairs of Parliament. During the meeting, she presented the legislative changes to three national ordinances for implementation of the cost cutting measures per the conditions for receiving the 2nd tranche of liquidity support from the government of the Netherlands. To meet these conditions St. Maarten drafted the following three amending National Ordinances in order for the cost cutting measures to be enforceable.
Temporary National Ordinance to amend the employment conditions of political authorities. This draft National Ordinance will temporarily reduce the employment conditions of political authorities by 25% per July 1, 2020.
Temporary National Ordinance COVID-19 cuts employment conditions for civil servants.
This draft National Ordinance will temporarily reduce personnel cost by adjusting the terms of employment of public servants by 12.5% per July 1, 2020.
Temporary National Ordinance on the standardization of top incomes and adjustment of employment conditions at (semi) public sector entities.
This draft National Ordinance will standardize top incomes and reduce the employment conditions by 12.5% per July 1, 2020, within the (semi) public sector to meet the conditions set by the Dutch Government.
During the meeting, there was a misunderstanding concerning what documents were confidential and what could be shared openly with the members of Parliament pertaining to the country package agreements concluded in December 2020. These documents formed part of a Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting which also included letters from State Secretary Knops, and as such were classified as confidential. Prime Minister Jacobs and her support staff were able to make clarifications regarding what is confidential and what is not. As the country package agreements have now been signed and therefore established, it is now a document that can be shared openly. Prime Minister Jacobs apologized to the members of Parliament for the misunderstanding.
Unanswered questions posed by the members of Parliament will be sent in writing to Parliament before the handling of the National Ordinances in a central committee meeting of Parliament to be held on Monday, January 25, 2021.
