PHILIPSBURG–One request for mass dismissal had been filed at the Department of Labour up to yesterday, Wednesday, December 20, since the passage of Hurricane Irma on Wednesday, September 6.
Labour Minister Emil Lee said the request does not concern Flamingo and Royal Palm Beach Resorts workers, but declined to name the company that filed the request.
Many businesses, including a number of hotel properties, sustained extensive damage during the passage of Hurricane Irma and many have remained closed since the major storm. Many workers are expected to face the breadline as these companies embark on the process of reconstructing their hurricane-ravaged facilities.
Lee told The Daily Herald that the Ministry of Labour is responsible for creating a healthy work environment and supports employers and employees reaching mutually-agreed-on settlements when it comes to disputes, which will be to the benefit of the country’s employees and employers.
He said he was pleased to see that Merchants Market, for example, had agreed to a settlement. The 19 Merchants Market workers, who were laid off following Irma, reached an out-of-court settlement with their employer on Tuesday. The workers had been dismissed without severance pay and the matter was taken to court.
Lee said it was sensitive to discuss certain matters in the media while trying to facilitate amicable solutions; that in public disputes everyone loses.
This newspaper had asked him whether any dismissal request has been filed for Flamingo and Royal Palm Beach Resort workers, and if so, for how many workers and when the request was filed. He was also asked to indicate whether any other mass dismissal request had been filed post-Irma and if so for what companies and for how many workers.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/72076-one-mass-dismissal-request-filed-thus-far
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