NAPB union was unprepared for meeting with Parliament, insurance and LBs main concerns

(𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯-𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸.)

GREAT BAY--It was not a good showing for the NAPB union in Parliament on Thursday. The Committee of Justice of Parliament to meet with the Nationaal Algemene Politiebond (NAPB) for discussion regarding pressing justice-related concerns currently affecting its membership and the broader public service environment

The NAPB was unprepared for the meeting and delivered what at times was an incoherent presentation with unclear responses to questions from Members of Parliament, leading to an earlier than expected adjournment.

Had it not been for the interjection of WICSU/PSU President Sharon Cangieter, who was present only to support the NAPB and not as a direct participant, the meeting might have been adjourned much earlier. After a brief adjournment, Cangieter was even designated to answer certain questions on behalf of NAPB members, despite not representing them.

She addressed some of the broader questions before handing the floor back to the NAPB board to respond to other points. The Vice-Chairman of the Committee, MP Lyndon Lewis, eventually adjourned the meeting until further notice and indicated that outstanding and additional questions and subsequent answers would be submitted in writing.

It could not be ascertained if MP's were clear on what they heard thus far, because the meeting never got back to the point where they could seek clarification and/or pose follow-up questions.

Among the key issues the NAPB raised were:

𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐞: This was the most bewildering exchange of the day and is still not clear. Grace Scott of the NAPB explained that "when the union realized that many of its members were exposed to serious danger, often facing life-threatening situations such as being shot or otherwise injured on duty, and in those cases, when an officer died, their families were left without proper financial support, since the main provider was gone."

"This is what led us to push for insurance coverage to assist our colleagues’ families in the event of their passing. At first, we had two types of insurance: one covering medical expenses and another specifically for life insurance. Initially, the coverage was limited, but later Nagico agreed to improve it. Under that agreement, families would receive 100% of the insured amount regardless of the cause of death, and 200% if the officer died in the line of duty. The policy value was NAf. 400,000 per person."

"However, government later considered this package too expensive. As a compromise, the union proposed a cost-sharing arrangement: government would pay part and members would contribute part. Eventually, it was agreed that each member would pay NAf. 25 while government would cover the rest. This is how the group life insurance came about, born from the need to make sure our colleagues’ families would not be left without support if they died or were seriously injured in the line of duty."

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 (𝐋𝐁𝐬): Many justice workers are still awaiting their formal placement decrees, despite the function book having been published in 2024. Errors in existing decrees, delays in batches, and irregular processes have caused frustration and demotivation among staff. MP's pointed out that the Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling has repeatedly informed Parliament that the LB's would be ready by the end of 2025 and question the communication between the Ministry and NAPB. To which NAPB indicated that a meeting was held earlier in the year and promised quarterly meetings have not been had. This explanation was not entirely clear however.

𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: The union highlighted ongoing concerns regarding retroactive salary payments dating back to October 10, 2010, as well as pending entitlements for retirees. They requested firm answers on payment timelines and guarantees that sufficient funds will be budgeted.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Concerns were also raised about mold at the police headquarters, lack of uniforms and materials for officers, and safety issues faced by immigration staff stationed at Princess Juliana International Airport, including poor lighting and insufficient security after a recent incident involving a burned vehicle.

The meeting was adjourned with many questions unanswered and clarity needed on most.

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