Aruba: Judge Rules that Near Closing of Airport Due to Striking Fireman Not that Serious … “Unbelievable”

How is it that an island that is 80% dependent upon tourism can continually take the tact that the tourist is not that important?

So tourists that continue to go to Aruba, even after the Holloway and Twitty families have been denied justice by some peculiar Aruban judges decisions. They think that such decisions do not affect them at all rather than looking at the larger systemic problem. Those “all about me” tourists may want to rethink that logic. Listen to the judges logic in the case of striking fire fighters and that the near closing of the Aruban airport was no big deal and not that serious, the problem was not so serious; that the problem was not serious because the duty officer has anticipated the actions. A judge actually thinks that the near closing of an airport with no fire fighting support with flights in the air to Aruba is not that serious. Wonder if the people on the fight think it was serious? What do you think?

Doesn’t this remind one of the bizarre, circular logic used in the Natalee Holloway case providing Joran Van der Sloot and others a free pass of getting a get out of jail free card in the death and disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

ORANJESTAD – Lawyer Anthony Ruiz refers to the verdict of last Friday I the lawsuit against fire fighters’ union Sinba as ‘unbelievable and unacceptable’.  “The judge has twisted his own words in the verdict of April 3 and that of his colleague in the verdict of April 8.”

After the verdict last Friday, Ruiz, who represents the Land, immediately lodged an appeal against this verdict, even before it was put on paper.  “This is unacceptable.”  The appeal comes up in court tomorrow afternoon and also the verdict of last Friday will most probably come up.  The lawyer is pleased with the fast handling.  “It proofs that the Court is taking the case seriously, because the procedure is usually not so fast.”  The ‘unannounced’ actions of the fire fighters on Friday had almost caused the airport to close.  “That’s what Buckley (lawyer Lisette Buckley that represents AAA, red.) tried to explain.  Thanks to the duty officer that immediately called reserve personnel that immediately answered, the airport could remain open.  And the judge now says that because of that, the problem was not so serious; that the problem was not serious because the duty officer has anticipated the actions.  Unbelievable.”

Lawyer Land: ‘Judge’s verdict unacceptable’ (Amigoe: 4/14/2008)

Public employees on strike have blocked the main road to the airport again last Saturday morning.  With this action they want to add force to their demands on salary indexation again.

ORANJESTAD – Lawyer Anthony Ruiz refers to the verdict of last Friday I the lawsuit against fire fighters’ union Sinba as ‘unbelievable and unacceptable’.  “The judge has twisted his own words in the verdict of April 3 and that of his colleague in the verdict of April 8.”

After the verdict last Friday, Ruiz, who represents the Land, immediately lodged an appeal against this verdict, even before it was put on paper.  “This is unacceptable.”  The appeal comes up in court tomorrow afternoon and also the verdict of last Friday will most probably come up.  The lawyer is pleased with the fast handling.  “It proofs that the Court is taking the case seriously, because the procedure is usually not so fast.”  The ‘unannounced’ actions of the fire fighters on Friday had almost caused the airport to close.  “That’s what Buckley (lawyer Lisette Buckley that represents AAA, red.) tried to explain.  Thanks to the duty officer that immediately called reserve personnel that immediately answered, the airport could remain open.  And the judge now says that because of that, the problem was not so serious; that the problem was not serious because the duty officer has anticipated the actions.  Unbelievable.”

The judge decided in the verdict of April 8 that despite understaffing, the fire fighters are allowed to go on strike.  The actions are connected to the same conditions in the verdict of April 3 for air traffic controllers, customs, police, immigration, and KIA.  The fire fighter had to inform the government of their actions 24 hours in advance, but they didn’t.  But the judge now says that this was not necessary, because the unions have already informed of the actions per letter.  “He forgets that Sinba was part of the defence in the first lawsuit.”  Ruiz says that the judge indicated that the actions do not need to be announced every time, because it is an unbroken action.  “But the verdict of April 3 states that each action must be announced in advanced and not after a cooling-off period.  The judge said Friday that he didn’t mean it like that, but also the opposite party has understood it like that.”  He refers to the actions of the air traffic controllers that were announced in advanced every time.      

The actions of the fire fighters didn’t have much influence on the airport.  Even Sinba admitted that the results of the actions were not what they have expected.  Management members and fire fighter that do not take part in the strike took over the work.  So they organized a protest march from the fire station to the airport and back.  It was just the traffic that was hindered for some time.  Actions are also planned for today.