PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina said on Wednesday that government is committed to resolving long-standing issues with the Fire Department, but stressed that all agreements must operate within the legal framework.
His comments came during the live Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday following a final escalation notice dated February 2, 2026, from the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union–Private Sector Union (WICSU-PSU) warning that decisive action must be taken within 48 hours to resolve a nearly ten-month firefighters’ go-slow caused by unresolved issues within the Fire Department, or firefighters will halt dialogue. Members of Parliament (MPs) from the United People’s party (UP), National Alliance (NA), and Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) have also requested that the Prime Minister provide Parliament with a written update regarding the ongoing dispute within the Fire Department.
“I want to inform the people of St. Maarten about actually what it’s all about,” Mercelina said, explaining that the discussions cover several issues, including a covenant for negotiations, the placement process for Fire Department workers, retroactive payments, the function book, and the appointment of a mediator, as well as a commitment letter that transferred into an agreement letter.
The Prime Minister said the covenant outlines technical aspects of work agreements that require negotiation between government and Fire Department representatives. He noted that at one point the union tried to dictate which government officials could participate in negotiations.
“Even with that, I went in agreement, when I realised that that is not correct, because they wanted other persons in the negotiation team to represent the government. We agreed with that. That’s the first agreement.”
Mercelina said government has agreed to retroactive payments and the placement of employees according to the new function book, which was finalised in March 2025 and approved by the Committee for Civil Servants Union (CCSU).
“There is no function book that can be published and become official if there is no approval of the CCSU,” he said. He added that during the crystallization process of the function book, some objections were raised, but unions agreed to proceed with the understanding that the function book would be revisited in the next three years.
The Prime Minister also noted that the function book is linked to the ICT Department, which required careful coordination to avoid disrupting operations. Government agreed to put additional negotiators on the table beyond the original team from the Department of PNO to help finalise the placement process and other pending issues.
Regarding mediation, Mercelina said a candidate was agreed upon and the process began in late December 2025. “It cannot be now, all of a sudden, that in the initiation of the activities of the mediator, all of a sudden now the union is asking for the Council of Ministers to become a negotiation partner,” he said, stressing that the mediation process must be allowed to proceed properly.
The Prime Minister said his intentions are sincere. “My intention for the Fire Department is more than good, out of a good heart,” he said, adding that he must be cautious in agreeing to items that lack legal basis. “I have to look to the future, trying to commit with my agreement in a gentleman’s way, with a good handshake and a signature, on the basis of making sure that what I agreed to, we can realise, without getting us in a difficult position that we have agreed on topics that, in the legal setting, we know already that it is not possible.”
The Prime Minister said government remains committed to resolving Fire Department matters fairly, within the legal framework, and in cooperation with all parties involved.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/pm-agreements-with-fire-dept-must-follow-legal-framework
