Ministers Emil Lee, William Marlin and Christophe Emanuel with the Inspection team on Friday.
PHILIPSBURG–As reported in The Daily Herald on Saturday, March 11, a multi-disciplinary control was conducted last Friday by Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA inspectors with the assistance of Ministry of Finance Tax Inspectors, Ministry of Justice Immigration Officers and Social and Health Insurance SZV representatives.
Minister of Labour Emil Lee commended the team who carried out the inspections for their hard work and enthusiasm throughout the day. Lee said, “We did not close any businesses. If a large percentage of the people operating within the business are undocumented and not permitted to work, the possible consequences are that the business may decide to close because it does not have the manpower to continue its operations, but that is their decision.”
All controls were carried out in a professional and friendly manner.
Government remains committed to improving compliance. At the moment, each of the Departments involved is busy processing the information gathered on Friday and conducting further investigations where necessary.
This newspaper understands that hotels will also be part of the controls, but resort managements were vocal on social media and expressed concern that Minister Lee as an hotel owner is part of the inspection team. Lee stated since the inception of the controls that he will not always be present at the controls.
The different Ministers will meet next week to have a debriefing session with the inspectors, the Minister of Finance and any other Ministers who are interested in joining. The results of the simple one-day exercise will be evaluated at this debriefing and the team will determine what kind of structural changes can be instituted across Ministries to improve compliance.
Minister Lee urged the business community to become familiar with the laws and become ready with what is expected to be on site if an inspector were to approach a business. Get things in order, as these controls will only increase, he said. Be proactive about ensuring that all documentation is in place even though the employees are being hired through a job placement agency.
The VSA Ministry has developed a compliance guide to begin to educate the public about employees’ rights and obligations as well as those of the employers, particularly as it pertains to following the laws of the land and what documents and paperwork must be in order before conducting business on the Dutch side. These compliance guides are available online at
www.ministryvsa.sx .
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/64421-minister-lee-to-continue-inspections-at-businesses
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