The ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid – SZW) will deal very cautiously with the collection of paid out surplus on unemployment benefit. That was declared by Huub Bouwen, head of the RCN/SZW department, in a radio program on August 18th.
Recently 120 inhabitants in the Dutch Caribbean have received a surplus on their unemployment benefit. This was possible because as of 10-10-2010 the correct amounts have not been applied all at once, and because sometimes persons have received unemployment benefit without the rights there to, for example because they did not notify that in the meanwhile they found a job or that in the meanwhile they acquired other sources of income.
This concerns amounts which can accumulate up to more than 1500 dollars per person. This money basically has to be repaid, something that has raised many questions and has led to commotion amongst the persons who are entitled to receive an unemployment benefit.
Social Affairs will now have a personal conversation with all 120 involved to decide whether and in which manner they should pay back the surplus of money paid out, as was made known. Huub Bouwen did not exclude that persons who really cannot pay the money back, considering their financial situation, and those who were not aware that they were receiving too much, may probably be forgiven.
In addition, some 160 persons entitled to unemployment benefit did rightfully receive a correction of their payment. This concerns amounts accumulating up to 3.000 dollars per person. The number of persons receiving an unemployment benefit in the Dutch Caribbean has lowered from 290 on 10-10-10 to 214 now.