NAPB to raise concerns in meeting with de Weever

NAPB representative Janine “Janice” Philips.

~ Wants rights of members addressed once and for all ~

PHILIPSBURG–The Nationale Algemene Politie Bond (NAPB) police union will raise the many issues affecting its membership with recently appointed Justice Minister Cornelius de Weever. 

  NAPB representative Janine “Janice” Philips said there are still many concerns affecting the union’s membership, whom she said love their jobs and enjoy serving the country, but are very demotivated and uninspired. 

  Amongst the issues the union will raise with the new minister is the need for an urgent finalisation of the “function book” and “rechtspositie,” which regulates many concerns affecting the union’s membership. Although the rechtspositie was worked on and signed in August 2016, by the then outgoing Justice Minister Edson Kirindongo, the various unions representing police officers and the advisory body on matters related to civil servants GOA, the process for it to go into effect was not followed up on, leaving members of the force hanging. 

  Amongst other things, the “rechtspositie” regulates police officers’ legal status and position and to ensure that they are placed in their correct salary scales. The signing was done after six years of lobbying spanning several Ministers and several presidents of some of the unions involved. The rechtspositie has to be sent to the Council of Advice and then to the Governor for signing after which it can go into effect. The rechtspositie is expected to correct many of the challenges faced by members of the union related to issues such as back-pay amongst other matters.

  In addition to the rechtspositie, the union also plans to raise the matter of the 16.3 per cent Windward Islands Allowance for its membership.

  Philips said the union is not sleeping on these issues and wants them addressed post haste. Many of these concerns have been pending for eight years and it’s “a slap in the face of members” of the force that in 2018 they are still not addressed. She said there had been several ministers of justice over the years that the union had been lobbying with to address these matters, and the union was only fed empty promises. She stressed that it is time for these matters to be solved once and for all “for our brothers and sisters in blue.”

  “We have been back and forth with agreements and in 2018, the issues are still there.”

  She said the union hopes that the new justice minister will once and for all complete the process from where it has been left off and have it finalised, “so that our members can receive what is due to them.

  “Seven to eight years is too long. In some cases government can sign off on documents in one day, but nothing happens for our members. It’s a slap in the faces of our members,” she stressed. “Our members are doing their jobs faithfully, yet they are being treated unfairly. There have been too many empty promises. We should not have to wait for a change in government or an election for things to happen.”

  Philips said the police force workers should not be taken for granted and deserves to be respected, motivated and recognised. 

  She was also critical of members of the force constantly upgrading their skills in various areas, but the upgraded skills are not put to use.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/72957-napb-to-raise-concerns-in-meeting-with-de-weever