WILLEMSTAD – The legal battle over unpaid salary increases for education workers in Curaçao has entered a new phase, as education union Vakbond DOEN says it is still waiting for the next judicial step after receiving an interim ruling in its case against the government.
The union says no final verdict has been issued yet, but remains hopeful after the court decided to postpone the substantive handling of the case due to legal complexities involving two separate categories of education workers.
According to the union, the case concerns two groups of employees: staff working at DOS as civil servants and teachers employed under private school boards but considered legally equivalent under the education system.
Because the two groups fall under different legal procedures, the civil court has decided to first coordinate with the administrative court handling civil servant matters before issuing a final joint ruling.
The case centers on what the union calls unequal treatment by the government.
Vakbond DOEN argues that education workers were denied a salary step increase in August 2024, despite being entitled to it under the applicable regulations.
The union first brought the case to court earlier this year, demanding legal clarity on whether the government acted unlawfully by withholding those payments.
For many teachers and education employees, the issue has become symbolic of broader frustrations over labor rights and government treatment of workers in the sector.
The union says the goal now is to align both legal tracks so that one final judgment can provide clarity for all affected education employees.
Vakbond DOEN announced it will meet with its legal counsel this week to determine its next strategy.
Union leaders say they remain cautiously optimistic but stressed that the case is far from over.
The outcome could have major implications for hundreds of education workers on the island, particularly if the court ultimately rules that the government must retroactively pay the salary increases.
The case comes at a time when labor tensions in Curaçao’s education sector remain high, with unions increasingly turning to the courts to resolve disputes over wages, benefits and employment conditions.