Aruban Unions Bring lawsuit Against Oduber Cabinet … “No work No pay.” Sounds Like No Body, No Crime

No work, no pay … No body, no crime: both damaging to Aruba Tourism.

The public employee strike has gone on for weeks and continues in Aruba with no end in sight. Civil servants have blocked the road along the Government Building that caused chaos and huge traffic jams.  They have also blocked the access road to the harbor, at the office of Aruba Port Authority. Now, the civil servant unions united in SDA have instituted a lawsuit against the Oduber-cabinet where the government is not paying salaries based on the principle ‘no work no pay’.

ORANJESTAD – The civil servant unions united in SDA have instituted a lawsuit against the Oduber-cabinet.  The lawsuit is to prevent the striking civil servants from not being paid this month.  According to lawyer Edwin Duijneveld that represents the unions, the government is not allowed to withhold salaries based on just the principle ‘no work no pay’. (AMIGOE: 4/18/2008)

Doesn’t this sound hauntingly similar to “no body, no crime” of which the Aruban people sat on their hands and did not hold their police or government for answers into the disappearance and justice for Natalee Holloway?

What is further mind boggling is the abject ignorance of a strike for higher wages while the unions are in the process of further destroying Aruba’s economy and providing a lasting memory for those currently vacationing there. One where they will never come back again due to the “troubling” and “unstable situation” they were presented with while supposedly being on vacation.

Ahata-director Rob Smith said that the organizations cannot just sit still and let all this happen; the labour conflict is already damaging the Aruban economy.

The minister doesn’t understand why the social partners are just now taking actions, while they have been well informed of the situation and could have anticipated damages for the Aruban economy.

“With this invitation they want the government to handle on an irresponsible manner for Aruba and agree with what the unions are asking.  That has never happened before in the history of Aruba.” 

Unions take the Aruban government to court (Amigoe: 4/18/2008)

Read more

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)

Read more

As Public Employees Boycott & Protest in Aruba … Let’s Remember What’s Really Important … Justice for Natalee Holloway

The protests and strikes continue in Aruba by public employees over higher wages as tourists come to Aruba and are presented with less that standard safety and service by the mere nature of the strikes. However, the question does come to mind … are the people of Aruba capable of protesting for a cause that is not as self serving as an increase in pay?

If the good people of Aruba actually had a clue, below is what their protests and strikes should have looked like over 2 1/2 years ago after Natalee Holloway went missing. Care about human life as much as you care about your wallet.

Aruba, imagine how prosperous your tourism would be and the image you would project to the world if your protests looked like this.

The truth of the matter is, if Aruba had provided “JUSTICE FOR NATALEE” there would have been no drop in tourism and the workers would have been able to maintain their wages and even get increases. Instead, they chose to sit on their hands and allow a miscarriage of justice and a joke of an investigation to occur.

To the people of Aruba … you still have the opportunity to do the right thing and demand justice in the case of Natalee Holloway.

Aruba Triple Murder: Son Eugene Lampe Confesses to Triple Murder … Compare & Contrast to Natalee Holloway Death & Disappearance

What a difference a crime makes and who committed the crime. It would appear that Eugene Lampe initially made false comments to the police that made them skeptical of his initial statement. Did Eugene say that he dropped his 3 murdered family members off at the Holiday Inn as Joran Van der Sloot had once done? Did Eugene Lampe say he left his murdered family on the beach?

Two crimes … two drastically different outcomes. Yes, the crimes are different in nature; however, why would the ALE not have initially believed the story in once case but in another allowed the fraud to continue?

In the end it is nice to have friends in high places that can exert power and influence.

Son Eugene confesses triple murder (Amigoe: April 7, 2008)

Also on Saturday did the technical detectives search the house of the Family Lampe in Macuarima.  Son Eugene has meanwhile confessed having killed his family.

Read more

Aruba Protests for Higher Wages, but not for Justice for Natalee Holloway … Arriving passengers were troubled

In Aruba a group of 500 to 1000 gathered yesterday morning to demonstrate for salary increases in front of the airport as incoming troubled tourists looked on. Think the protectors caused an inconvenience, you bet. What must tourists be thinking as they see the very people that provide their safety, security and conveniences on strike? Imagine getting off a plane for the first time and seeing this unrest. Think the tourists are asking themselves that they never remember this type of strife being discussed on the travel brochure. Aruba, think those tourists will ever be coming back again?

(Arubans public workers protest at Reina Beatrix International Airport)

After the judge decided last Saturday that the public employees are allowed to demonstrate in front of the airport, a big group marched with banners, drums, and slogans from the Simar-building to the arrival- and departure terminals of the airport.  The arriving passengers were troubled by this, because they couldn’t leave directly for their hotels by taxi.  Spokesperson of AAA, Hendrik Croes, said that the tourists had to wait in the arrival hall for about 45 minutes and they were not very pleased with this.  “The effect of the demonstration was the same as last time, when the intersection in front of the airport was blocked.’

People have asked why individuals are protesting Aruba in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. People have stated that a protest/boycott of Aruba only hurts the Aruban people who are not to blame for her disappearance or death. Aruba, life is not a one way street. Are not the protests by public employees harming all Arubans? Are not the protests harming tourists who have actually paid money to go a peaceful vacations only to have to encounter “troubling” issues.

What is most distasteful about the public employees strike is as follows. Everyone has the right to protest for what ever reason they deem important. However, it is almost unseemly that Arubans would come out in force and protest for higher wages, yet sit idly by on their hands when it came to protesting for “Justice for Natalee”. There is something just so distasteful and wrong about that very premise. Its obvious that Arubans know how to protest. Its also obvious that Arubans do not have an issue with protesting against their government. However, what also appears to be even more obvious is that the very island that begs for tourists to come to their “One Happy Island” also cares little to protest for justice if a tourist goes missing or dies there. There is something to ponder why contemplating a vacation.

New actions has started for this week (Amigoe: April 7, 2008)

Tourists were still troubled by the public employees’ protest march at the airport last Saturday.  The public employees, among whom many teachers, hit the streets again this morning (picture right).

ORANJESTAD – A big group of public employees, about 500 to 1000, gathered again this morning to demonstrate for salary increases.  Many teachers answered Simar’s call for strike.  At the time this paper went to press, we had no idea of how many students didn’t have classes today due to the strike.  None of the schools did close however.

Read more