On Monday morning, the drivers of the public transport company Arubus staged a walk-out from 6:30 am to 8:30 am as a protest against their current salaries and working conditions.
Roque Tromp, Shop Steward of SEPPA, expressed their discontent, stating that they gathered to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with what is happening at Arubus. They went outside for two hours to show their discontent.
The employees have been fighting for several years for a new salary increase and structure, Tromp indicated. Since 2017, they have been in negotiations without reaching a satisfactory agreement with management. Tromp highlighted that during the pandemic in 2020/2021, public sector employees’ salaries were reduced by 12.6%, while other sectors have already received indexing, Arubus employees have not seen any improvements.
Every time there is a meeting with the minister or mediator, no one shows up to negotiate seriously. “We had no other option but to go out to show that we want a fair solution,” he said.
Edmundo Marlin of SEPPA emphasized the dissatisfaction of the employees and stressed the need for a fair salary agreement. “We cannot continue with meetings being canceled last minute. It is crucial for the government, Arubus management, and the mediator to understand our urgency and sit down to resolve this once and for all,” Marlin asserted.
The union and the employees are willing to take more decisive action if significant progress is not made in the next negotiations. “We are here to fight for a new and fair salary structure for all Arubus employees,” Marlin concluded.
