A total of 1,167 persons affixed their signatures to the Comprehensive Business Association (CBA) petition against the government’s revised labour policy.
The petition which was presented to Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards on Tuesday, calls on government to suspend the implementation of the revised policy and to reopen discussions and debate on the document. The policy went into effect on Monday, January 12.
CBA Chairman Elco Rosario said a significant number of persons had been reluctant to sign the petition because they were scared of reprisals.
"We were hoping to get 3,000 more signatures, but I was shocked by the number of people who were afraid of signing the petition. Out of every four persons, three were scared," he said.
Rosario said too that he was disappointed that members of the Executive Council had not been present when the petition was presented, especially since the presentation of the document had been postponed to last Tuesday to present it when all members of government were present for their regular Executive Council meetings.
In the meantime, in an open letter to Labour Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams, Rosario said the signatures represent only a fraction of the persons who are very concerned about the new policy and who agree with the request.
"Lt. Governor Mr. Franklyn Richards, who accepted the petitions on behalf of the Executive Council, indeed promised us that he would have the Council review the request, as we are in a democratic country," Rosario said in the letter.
"Being in a democratic country, where the people have the right to petition the Government directly and also to directly receive serious answers, we hope and expect that your Council will not just dispatch us to the Tripartite Committee or some other advisory body, but will take the petition of the people very seriously and answer directly to us.
"We expect that your Council already has consulted the necessary legal and other experts about the serious grievances, such as it being in violation of higher laws, which we have brought forward against the new policy through various articles which have been published and discussed in the local media and at a public forum and of which we have also provided copies to the Lt. Governor last Monday.
"We are eagerly awaiting your response on same. One issue, though, requires to be immediately and publicly addressed by your Council, as it is causing grave and justifiable anxiety among many on the island, namely the question of how rigidly or flexibly the policy will be implemented.
"While the text and tenure of the new policy dictate its rigid implementation, we understand that you, Mrs. Wescot-Williams, have declared that it is not ‘cast in stone.’ This issue concerns the fundamental principle of transparent government, to which St. Maarten and all other governments in the Kingdom of the Netherlands have committed themselves: if the policy is not cast in stone, then which material is it exactly cast in?"
He said the CBA has been contacted by various persons who have gone to the Labour Department for clarification about the conditions they have to comply with, only to discover that the department is not capable in providing clear answers to all relevant questions.
"As many businesses know that they are not able to right now comply with all the relevant conditions to acquire an employment permit, they ask themselves what government will do if locals are not available to fill a job position.
"The anxiety this is causing is multiplied by the fact that no guarantees exist for all businesses being treated equally in such cases, with strong rumours already in abundance that those with special contacts will be treated more leniently than those without." He called on Wescot-Williams to urgently publicly address this issue.