WILLEMSTAD – The board of the CBV union says it remains committed to the transition of ambulance personnel from Fundashon Kuido di Ambulans Kòrsou (FKAK) to the Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN), despite delays in the process.
Union representatives held discussions with FKAK employees late last week after concerns emerged about the progress of the transition. According to CBV president Annaliza Suares-Mathilda, the process is still moving in the right direction, although an important deadline set for this month is unlikely to be met.
The delay is attributed to necessary adjustments required to finalize the transition of ambulance staff into civil servant status. The CBV indicated that work is ongoing with all relevant stakeholders to address these technical and regulatory issues.
The transition process was initiated in 2023 under former minister Javier Silvania. According to Suares-Mathilda, the current setbacks are largely due to the fact that ambulance personnel were not previously recognized as civil servants, requiring changes to existing legislation and frameworks.
The union now intends to meet with current minister Tyron Boekhoudt to establish clear agreements on the next steps and define a concrete timeline for implementation.
The ultimate goal, according to CBV, is to create a stable and well-functioning ambulance service under the government structure. It has also been confirmed that once integrated into GMN, ambulance staff will fall under the existing salary scales for civil servants.