WILLEMSTAD – Opposition party MAN says Curaçao's civil servants should not lose their promised thirteenth-month bonus because of a political dispute over additional payments proposed for ministers and Members of Parliament.
In a statement issued by its party board, MAN emphasized that it fully supports the additional payment requested by labor unions and believes Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas and his Cabinet must honor their commitment to public employees.
The party accused the government of using the controversy surrounding payments to political officeholders as a reason to withhold the bonus from everyone, including civil servants who were the original intended beneficiaries.
According to MAN, the government previously informed labor unions that sufficient funds were available to provide the additional payment.
The Cabinet subsequently approved the unions' request on October 7.
MAN said it did not oppose that decision and continues to support the payment of the thirteenth-month bonus to eligible public employees.
Government Accused of Shifting Responsibility
The opposition party strongly rejected suggestions that parliamentarians Giselle Mc William and Suzanne Camelia-Römer were responsible for the government's inability to proceed with the payments.
According to MAN, the two parliamentarians questioned the Cabinet's decision to extend additional compensation to ministers and Members of Parliament, not the decision to provide a bonus to civil servants.
The party argues that the government should distinguish between those two issues.
MAN maintains that the Cabinet itself created the controversy by including political officeholders in the payment arrangement.
The party accused the government of attempting to shift responsibility for the resulting difficulties onto the two opposition parliamentarians.
MAN described that approach as an attempt to avoid political accountability for decisions taken by the Cabinet.
Previous Bonuses Cited as Examples
The party also questioned why the government now claims it cannot proceed with the thirteenth-month payment when it previously approved other bonuses.
MAN specifically referred to the San Antoni and Bashi premie payments, arguing that the conditions under which those bonuses were provided have not materially changed.
According to the party, it did not criticize the government when those earlier payments were made.
MAN therefore sees no reason why the current bonus for civil servants, employees with equivalent status, and workers at certain public institutions should be withheld.
The party insists that its opposition is directed at additional payments for ministers and parliamentarians, not at financial support for public-sector employees.
Call for Government to Honor Its Promise
MAN called on the Pisas Cabinet to act responsibly and find a way to fulfill its commitment to the unions.
The party maintains that public employees should not suffer financially because of disagreements surrounding compensation for political officeholders.
It also argues that the government must take responsibility for its own decisions instead of blaming opposition parliamentarians who questioned their legality.
The statement reflects growing political pressure surrounding the promised December bonus, which Prime Minister Pisas previously indicated could not be paid under the existing circumstances.
MAN's position is that the government should proceed with the payments intended for civil servants without including the disputed additional compensation for ministers and Members of Parliament.
However, the party's statement does not provide a detailed legal or financial mechanism for separating the payments, nor does it establish whether all required approvals for the civil servants' bonus have been obtained.
For now, the dispute leaves public employees facing uncertainty over a payment that the government had previously indicated it could afford.
MAN maintains that the Cabinet has a responsibility to resolve the situation and deliver on its promise to the unions, rather than allowing the controversy over political officeholders' compensation to affect the wider public sector.