PHILIPSBURG--A proposal to separate Immigration from police and make the former an independent entity is being opposed fiercely by the NAPB St. Maarten (police) union, the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) and their members.
The unions are baffled as to why Justice Minister Roland Duncan would want to make the Immigration Department independent. They believe that there are ulterior motives.
The unions are also contending that Duncan's proposal would jeopardise the transfer of an estimated 46 Immigration officers to Country St. Maarten, which has to be done as of October 10.
"This leaves the Immigration officers in limbo," WICSU/PSU President William Reed contended. "This will not be a healthy situation. The Minister is acting like a defence attorney instead of representing and protecting. It seems as if he has special interest groups."
Representatives of the two unions met with some of their members on Friday on this and other concerns. The unions said they had learnt of the minister's decision after "pressuring" him to meet with them. One meeting was held with NAPB in June and another with WICSU/PSU, the ABVO union and NAPB on August 4.
NAPB St. Maarten President Carlyle Rogers said it already had been agreed prior to the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles that the current structure of the Police Force would remain in St. Maarten's new constitutional setup.
Reed said that if the minister wanted to make changes to this arrangement the proper thing to do would have been to "come back to the table" and discuss it with the unions and their membership. He said Duncan had been excluding the main players, including WICSU/PSU and NAPB, for some time now from decisions he made on issues affecting their members.
"The minister is going ahead with decisions without following the lines that he has to follow and because of this he is standing in a straight confrontational line with the union," said Reed.
He also believes that removing Immigration from the Police Force would give rise to safety and security issues. He said it seemed as though an attempt was being made to take away the authority of Police Chief Commissioner Peter de Witte who currently has authority over police and Immigration.
Reed also believes that attempts would be made to give preferential treatment to "families and friends" which he said would become "a dangerous practice." He said the union would hold Duncan responsible and accountable for his decisions. "If I have to choose between Mr. De Witte and the minister who I have the most confidence in to manage the police, I would say De Witte," said Reed.
One of NAPB's concerns is the transfer of police and Immigration officers to Country St. Maarten as of October. He said separating Immigration from the Police Force would require a lot of work and because of the process and the volume of work it would not be feasible for this to be done before October.
NAPB, he maintained, expects all of its members to go over into the service of St. Maarten as previously agreed. The union would not accept some being transferred and not others, he said.
Both unions contended that matters could be resolved amicably if Duncan met with members. However, they said Duncan appeared to be arrogant and not interested in hearing from others.
The unions outlined their position and concerns in a letter to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams on July 19. A copy of the letter was sent to Governor Eugene Holiday and President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell.
A meeting will be requested via the Advisory Body GOA for the matter to be discussed. The unions again will voice their position against this decision. They also believe that the Parliament should be aware of their position.
Other issues of concern to members discussed at Friday's meeting concerned job descriptions, salary scales and pending promotions. The issue of discrepancies in the legal positions of some of the workers also was broached.
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