Committee signs document on short-term contracts

August 31, 2016

PHILIPSBURG–The Labour Tripartite Committee reached a milestone on Tuesday when its members signed a consensus document on how to address the abuse of short-term labour contracts.

The committee comprising representatives of Government, business and labour reached unanimous agreement on the consensus document, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Emil Lee told reporters at the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday. He said the Committee had been working “tirelessly” on this issue.
“We have been in discussions about finding an agreement on how to address the abuse of the six-months contract/short-term contracts. Attached to that was discussions about far-reaching concepts for labour reform,” he said.
Lee is “extremely proud” of the end result and noted that the agreement would be a “game changer” for the country.
“It will reignite our economy, give stability to the workers and put upward pressure on salaries. Equally significant is the process. I’ve seen how the committee has evolved, how dialogues have been open and how there is a sense of trust between the social partners and a unified vision in terms of what we want to accomplish. I am proud to say that we have 100 per cent unanimous agreement on the consensus document,” he said.