WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao Business Association (VBC) believes that the government of Curaçao lacks determination. In addition, the VBC calls government unions inflexible.

According to the VBC, the corona crisis has made the vision for the Curaçao economy even more gloomy than it already was.

The VBC emphasizes that before the corona crisis there had been an economy that was becoming smaller and smaller, a so-called shrinking economy, for three years.

The VBC reports on the economic "recession" that existed before the Covid-19 outbreak, a recession due to three consecutive years of contraction. In 2019, the unemployment rate rose to 21.2 percent. The Covid-19 crisis has made the vision for the Curaçao economy even more gloomy. Overnight, the main economic, foreign exchange-generating and job-creating sector, tourism, has come to a virtual standstill. This is also the case for other activities, including the international transport and logistics sector.

According to the VBC, the pain can be "alleviated" by showing internal solidarity to bear the great decline in prosperity together. But in this the association finds that there is too little decisiveness by the government, which is thwarted by the unions.

In addition, the VBC finds it "striking" that there is a discrepancy in wage cuts between the private (20 percent minimum) and the semi-public sector (12.5 percent). The association also wonders how sensible it has been to divide the liquidity support from the Netherlands into 30 percent for the private sector and 70 percent for the public sector.