WILLEMSTAD – Employees of the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) are expected to receive an update Monday on labor tensions at the hospital and the future of their collective labor agreement, following emergency discussions involving healthcare union CBV, hospital management and the government.
A joint meeting with CMC personnel is scheduled for Monday, August 24, at 10:00 a.m. in the hospital’s atrium.
According to CBV president Annaliza Suares Mathilda, employees will be informed about the current situation at CMC, agreements reached during an urgent meeting on August 20 and what they can expect during the next phase of discussions.
Particular attention will be given to the collective labor agreement, or CAO. According to CBV, the current situation involves labor arrangements whose last version dates back to 2009.
The age of those agreements has become an important issue in the ongoing discussions about employment conditions at the hospital.
The union said Monday’s gathering is intended to provide employees with information directly and transparently while restoring confidence and calm within the organization.
CBV expects a large number of employees to be present Monday morning. If the number of participants makes a single meeting impractical, the union said smaller sessions could be organized so that all workers have an opportunity to receive the information in an orderly manner.
The meeting follows concerns about a possible strike at CMC. Those concerns led Health Minister Tyron Boekhoudt, hospital management and CBV representatives to hold urgent discussions on Thursday.
The parties agreed on measures designed to prevent escalation and provide employees with greater certainty while discussions continue.
However, CBV said Friday that one of the first agreements reached during those talks had already not been honored. The union warned that such developments risk undermining trust at a particularly sensitive moment.
Despite the disagreement, CBV says it remains committed to dialogue and a sustainable solution.
The union has made clear, however, that it expects all parties to comply fully with the agreements reached on August 20 and says it will continue pressing for progress on employment conditions while seeking to safeguard the continuity of healthcare at Curaçao’s main hospital.