Healthcare BES CLA talks suspended after five days

President of the All For I Union, Charles Woodley, representing the St. Eustatius Healthcare Foundation (SE­HCF), speaking to healthcare workers prior to the meeting.

Negotiations between employers and unions over a new Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) for healthcare workers in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have been suspended after five days of intensive discus­sions.

The negotiations, which took place from August 24 through August 28, ended without an agreement. The parties said they regret that they were unable to reach a deal.

At the centre of the negotia­tions is the shared goal of achiev­ing employment conditions for healthcare workers in the Carib­bean Netherlands that are equiv­alent to those in the European Netherlands.

The parties agree that residents of the European Netherlands and the BES islands are equal citi­zens of the Netherlands and that healthcare employees in the BES should therefore have equivalent employment conditions. Employ­ers, however, must also have the financial resources to implement those conditions.

The main differences in em­ployment conditions concern the working week, salaries and pen­sions.

36-hour working week.

The introduction of a 36-hour working week has emerged as a key point in the negotiations. Unions are calling for the shorter working week to be introduced as of January 1, 2027.

Employers said they are unable to meet the demand because the financial re­sources required to imple­ment the measure are not available.

All parties agree that a 36-hour working week would contribute to greater equal­ity in employment condi­tions. They also acknowl­edge potential benefits for employee wellbeing, work-life balance and the labour market position of the BES islands.

At the same time, the par­ties agree that the availabil­ity and continuity of health­care for residents must be taken into account when considering the introduc­tion of a 36-hour working week.

Unresolved issues 

The impasse over the working week also prevent­ed the parties from reaching agreements on several other issues where progress had reportedly been made. These include a salary in­crease, improved continued payment of wages during illness and special leave ar­rangements.

After five days of negotia­tions, the CLA parties con­cluded that an agreement could not be reached at this stage.

The parties have docu­mented the status of the negotiations in a suspen­sion agreement and are now considering how to proceed.

All parties expressed their regret that they were unable to reach an agree­ment, while reaffirming their commitment to con­tinuing discussions towards improved and more equal employment conditions for healthcare workers in the BES.

The Daily Herald.