Member of Parliament George Pantophlet is calling on those employers who are intentionally and callously abusing their employees to desist from such actions. We on St. Maarten should not think that we are isolated from what has and is taking place in countries in the world such as Egypt, Libya, Syria, Greece and the United States of America.
And it all comes down to greed. When a people feel that the laws are not working in their favor their actions will reflect this. He said he can hear some people saying we should lobby with the other members of Parliament to get the laws changed then he has to remind them of the motions that were rejected by the coalition parties. Furthermore he would like to see a motion from the faction of the National Alliance that was ever accepted by the other factions represented in Parliament. They still have to wait on a phone call or a bb message. He said while driving to town on Friday morning for the meeting on the corporate governance council he was stopped by a young man from St. Peters who wanted a ride. He was trying to get to Simpson Bay where he had just gotten a job some 4 days prior. He said he did not want to lose it. In the brief moment we spoke he explained that he had worked for a company for 5 years and never got paid out. He said by the time he obtained legal representation the judge said that time had expired. The Member of Parliament asked him what had become of the company. The young man said that the company recently changed their name and has reopened again. The same afternoon the Member of Parliament met a lady who said that she had been outsourced to Simpson Bay Resort and Marina. She quit because they had her working a 3 days week, her back hurt and she could not get a doctor card. He met another person that said to him they had to clean 18 and up to 21 rooms a day at a particular resort (the name of the hotel is known to him). What she said is most difficult is having to do several check outs at the same time. The Member of Parliament said that he is not ignorant of the difficulties many businesses are facing but the abuse of employees has to stop. What is painful is the fact that Government does have what it takes to solve the problem. It would be interesting to know who really own those companies involved in the outsourcing and who is in charge of the landscaping. It is no public secret that names of the real owners are not mentioned on any documentation. Has government done any immigration controls at the resort to verify statements that the Simpson Bay Resort and Marina brought in workers from Mexico or elsewhere? It would be interesting to find out who is working in the sales department? And also to find out when were the employment permits of these persons requested and or approved? What about the financial statements that should have been presented to verify the actual condition of the previous and now present owner? This would clarify the statements often made by persons who are saying that all monies generated are banked abroad and even funds for salaries comes from overseas? Finally what will the real power Vice Prime Minister Theo Heyliger do about the General Manager of the Simpson Bay Resort and Marina Jules James and Member of Parliament Jules James of the United Party do? Rethink your actions.