Claire Elshot.
~ Congratulates new board ~
PHILIPSBURG–The Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Union (WICLU) got an opportunity to update new President of the Nationale Algemene Politie Bond (NAPB) police union on issues that the Chamber is focusing on during a meeting held over the weekend.
WICLU president Claire Elshot also congratulated NAPB’s recently installed president Rogerrel Eugenio Mauricia and the new board on their appointments. The new board was officially installed a week ago.
Elshot told The Daily Herald that she was unable to attend the installation of the new board as she had a meeting with the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), in her capacity as the teachers’ union president that lasted longer than anticipated.
During the WICLU meeting on Saturday, Mauricia was updated on a campaign that the Anti-Poverty Platform will be launching on September 6, the anniversary of Hurricane Irma. Elshot said since it is one year since Irma affected St. Maarten, the chamber will be looking at the “SXM strong” and the “St. Maarten workers strong,” brand that were coined after Irma and will evaluate how workers are faring a year after the devastating storm.
She said the intention is to create awareness as to whether St. Maarten workers are strong. “The hurricane exposed a number of things on the labour front as it relates to workers. We would like know how strong workers are due to loss of income, due to reduced working hours, due to unilateral decisions in businesses where, especially unionized workers are. We have been seeing a lot of ugly practices against workers,” Elshot said. WICLU also shared the things that are planned for the week leading up to Irma’s anniversary.
Also discussed was the meeting held with government on cost-cutting measures. WICLU is now seeking to get a meeting with Finance Minister Perry Geerlings on issues such cost- cutting and revenue-generating measures and to also look at coming up with recommendations to expand the basket of price control goods. The chamber president believes that this matter should be tackled and handled expeditiously as it has been a discussion for a long time.
Parties also discussed NAPB’s membership in the GOA – a body that represents the interest of civil servants. NAPB has one member and a substitute member in the GOA and ABVO St. Maarten union has one member and one substitute member. Elshot said she is happy to see that the GOA platform has been broadened to include representation from all workers in the civil service. In the past, the GOA only included representatives from the Windward Islands Civil Servants/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) and the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU).
Mauricia was also updated on the reporting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on the abolition of forced labour and on tripartite consultations. The ILO convention had been discussed in a previous WICLU meeting, but the Chamber of Unions felt it important to bring Mauricia up to speed on the matter.
“It was a fruitful meeting and we would like to congratulate to the entire NAPB board and we look forward to having a good working relationship with them,” Elshot said.
Other members of the NAPB board Richel Doran, Marcus Pantophlet, Belinda Bryson, Janine Philips and Fabiola Brown. Members of the NAPB congress are John Boyrard, Darion Every and former president Jeanine Peterson.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/79618-wiclu-updates-new-napb-president-on-various-issues
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