Customs Officers in Aruba Demonstrate … Walkout Could turned into a Strike

A simple drip of water eventually takes effect … such is the case in Aruba.

Hundreds of Customs Department employees demonstrated against the policies of management of the Aruban Tax Department. Wasn’t it just recently stated that Aruba was an ideal market for investment as one of the reasons was a  a stable political climate? Things are beginning to happen internally due to the loss of tourism and tax revenue that are now affecting the Aruban infrastructure and the people.

Customs is a subdivision of the Tax Department and that is exactly the problem, says union leader Sharina Hernandez.  “We want a status aparte now.”  The responsible minister Nilo Swaen (MEP) of Finance and Economic Affairs indicated in a reaction that he will go to court if the walkout gets turned into a strike. 

“What the union does is very irresponsible.  I have talked with them on October 25th and there was no problem then.  Their reaction is lamentable, because they are doing this based on rumours “, said the minister.  (Amigoe)

This cant be good on several levels. Why would anyone want to shrink the size of the customs department other than they need to reduce government expenditures due to the shrinking economy and lack of tax revenue. Also, why would one chose the customs department of all departments to shrink?  According to union leader Sharina Hernandez, “the government has supposedly drawn up a report to drastically shrink the customs department from more than 200 to 20 persons”.

Amigoe, November 22, 2006: Customs officers demonstrate for liberation

 About a hundred employees of the customs department demonstrated against the policy of management and for a liberation from the Tax Department.  They did this in front of the Government-building this morning. 

ORANJESTAD – About one hundred employees of the customs department protested today against the policy of management.  Customs is a subdivision of the Tax Department and that is exactly the problem, says union leader Sharina Hernandez.  “We want a status aparte now.”  The responsible minister Nilo Swaen (MEP) of Finance and Economic Affairs indicated in a reaction that he will go to court if the walkout gets turned into a strike. 

“What the union does is very irresponsible.  I have talked with them on October 25th and there was no problem then.  Their reaction is lamentable, because they are doing this based on rumours “, said the minister. 

The Sindicato Aduana Di Aruba (SADA) says that the walkout and demonstration is a continuation on a letter that was sent to the minister last week Thursday, in which the union asked for a deliberation with the minister, because they wanted to talk about a number of problems.  The minister didn’t act within the proposed ultimatum. 

The problems the union wants to discuss are from way back, according to Hernandez.  “Our functions are more and more getting undermined.  For example the collection work that was taken away from us and given to the collector of taxes.”  Hernandez says that the collection duty was already a task of the collector of taxes, but at certain point it was given to customs.  She explained that the people that had collection as part of their job description and worked with the collector of taxes came to work for the custom department in the nineties of the last century.  “What will happen to them, now that the same duties are going back?” 

According to Hernandez, the government has supposedly drawn up a report to drastically shrink the customs department from more than 200 to 20 persons.  The custom officials also feel badly done by other projects that are with the Tax Department and are of the opinion that on top of that, management does not listen to them sufficiently.  Management does not come up for our interest, so we want to be separated from the Tax Department”, said Hernandez. 

The minister didn’t act upon last Thursday’s letter to meet with SADA within two working days and the union had therefore mobilized her members to have a meeting in front of the headquarters of the custom department.  Also non-members came to this meeting.  After the meeting, the custom officials went to the government’s building for a demonstration. 

The minister denies transferring the collector’s duties to the Collector of Tax.  He also doesn’t know anything about a report with the proposed personnel cutback.  He emphasizes that he did react on their letter.  “In my answer on the letter I suggested to meet on December 1st”, said Swaen.  “In earlier conversations I have also said that I will first deal with the changes of the Tax Department and then with the Customs Department.  I have always said that I am open for talks about a standalone customs department.”