Temporary unemployment benefit for BES January 1

Employees on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (so-called BES islands) who lose their jobs through no fault of their own will be able to submit an application for unemployment benefit under the Temporary Unemployment Benefit Regulation BES from January 1, 2027 onwards. The benefit can be claimed for a maximum of three months.

The proposal entered a consultation phase in the spring, offering an op­portunity for stakehold­ers and the public to give their views and feedback. Although the plan is to in­troduce a permanent un­employment benefit law, it takes time to draft such. That is why the temporary regulation is being intro­duced, so that people do not have to wait for unem­ployment benefits for any longer than necessary. The experience gained will be used when drafting the per­manent law.

The unit for Social Affairs and Employment SZW is organising public informa­tion sessions to explain the new benefit in more detail and to answer questions about the regulation. The sessions are scheduled to take place in October on St. Eustatius and Saba, and in November on Bonaire.

During the sessions, an explanation will be given about who might be eligible under the regulation and what you should do if you become unemployed.

The sessions are taking place in :

• Saba, on Monday, Oc­tober 26 in the Eugenius Johnson Center from 10.00am to 12.00pm in English and from 4:00pm to 5.30pm in Spanish.

• St. Eustatius, on Wednes­day, October 28 at the Elma building from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in English and from 7:00pm to 8:30pm in Spanish.

More information about the Temporary Unemploy­ment Benefit Regulation BES can be found on our website. People can also contact the SZW office by phone on +599 418 3804 (Saba), by phone and What­sApp +599 790 0052 on St. Eustatius or by phone and WhatsApp +599 7951106 on Bonaire.

The Daily Herald.