PHILIPSBURG--An agreement for the transfer of postal services and postal workers was signed on Saturday, October 15, bringing an end to a ten-day stalemate that saw a postal workers strike, closure of the Post Office, and contentious claims from parties involved surrounding the postal workers' legal position. The Post Office re-opens today.
Signing the agreement on Saturday were the Government of St. Maarten, represented by Shareholder Representative for Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, PSS Director Denicio Richardson, Nieuwe Post Nederlandse Antillen (NPNA) NV General Managing Director Franklin Sluis and St. Maarten Communications Union (SMCU) President Ludson Evers.
The agreement formalises the transfer of the operations of postal services from NPNA to PSS as of October 15. However, the agreement also outlines a management period by NPNA until December 31. While the operations will be the responsibility of PSS, the latter will be supported by NPNA.
NPNA also will pay employees until December 31. NPNA will work with PSS in setting up its postal services during the management period, for PSS to be ready to be fully "independent" on January 1, 2012.
If there is a shortfall for NPNA in the support period, NPNA will in essence pre-fund this and will be reimbursed by PSS during the first half of 2012. Discussion on how reimbursement will be carried out will take place following the support period.
Postal workers will receive job offers (transfer letters) from PSS to which they will be expected to react within a week from the issuance of the letters.
The letters will include the reason for transfer, the date for appointment and, where applicable the duration, the function group with its salary scale, the duties of the function to be performed with the description thereof, a reference that the current salary and all other current benefits will continue, the number of years in service and that PSS will guarantee the legal position and labour conditions for the duration of the employment.
The current Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) will remain in effect until a new one is negotiated between PSS and SMCU. However, there is a particular clause in the CLA, article 2.6, that will not be applicable under the agreement because it has to do with payout to the workers in the event a request is submitted to leave service. PSS will not have to pay out an employee should said employee opt to go over to NPNA.
The part of the draft agreement that stalled the negotiations a week ago was taken out of the final agreement. NPNA was seeking to have the government of St. Maarten recognise that NPNA would be executing non-postal services in St. Maarten.
The Prime Minister said the next two months would be very challenging for the PSS board and management. "It's not going to be easy," she said, adding that full cooperation would be needed to make it work for the community of St. Maarten.
Sluis said he believed the agreement secured the jobs of postal workers and now gave them peace of mind. He said NPNA had committed itself to working with PSS to have it up and running "at least by December 31." He thanked the community for its patience after being shut off from a service to which it is accustomed and entitled.
Denicio Richardson said the work only now began for PSS. He said he and his team would be working hard to normalise the situation at the Post Office, with the support of NPNA. He said he was looking forward to flying the PSS flag outside the Post Office as quickly as possible, as another indication of nation-building for Country St. Maarten. He said PSS would be developed into a company with improved service and one of which the people of St. Maarten would be proud.
The Parliament meeting on the postal issue is scheduled to continue on Tuesday, when the prime minister more than likely will be faced with more questions from Parliament.
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