WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao government has been ordered to pay a civil servant ANG 417,963 in gross back wages, plus statutory interest, after the Civil Service Court ruled that the government had failed to act on his demand for payment.
The court concluded that the government’s failure to respond to the employee’s formal notice and demand for payment amounted to a refusal to take a decision or action. That refusal was overturned by the court.
Rather than sending the matter back to the government for another decision, the judge decided to settle the dispute directly.
The court established the employee’s gross wage claim at ANG 417,963. The amount must be increased by statutory interest calculated from August 1, 2025, until the full amount has been paid.
The court will issue an enforcement order for the amount once the judgment becomes final.
An important issue in the proceedings was whether the employee was still entitled to challenge the government’s failure to act after an earlier procedure concerning implementation of his appointment decision.
The court concluded that he could. According to the judgment, the latest request was different in nature from the previous one, while the amount of time that had passed in the case was also relevant.
The objection was therefore declared admissible and well-founded.
The ruling represents a substantial financial judgment against the Curaçao government and underscores that prolonged failure to act on salary claims by public servants can ultimately result in direct intervention by the Civil Service Court.