Oct 6, 2023 at 4:20 PM Update: 10 minutes ago
On the Dutch islands of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius, residents have difficulty making ends meet, according to research by budget advisor Nibud. That is why the minimum wage must increase.
On Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, approximately 11,000 residents fall below the poverty line. “That is a lot, for a population of approximately 30,000 inhabitants,” says Glenn Thodé, chairman of the Social Minimum Committee in the Caribbean Netherlands. Both working and non-working people are short of money every month.
“The big difference with the situation here is that there is no social minimum on the BES islands. Wages and benefits have therefore been structurally too low for years,” Divosa said in response to the news. Divosa is the Dutch association of municipal managers in the field of participation, work and income.
“Many residents have multiple jobs because they would otherwise not be able to make ends meet. The social consequences are far-reaching: children hardly see their parents because they are away from home a lot,” the response continues.
There is also a serious lack of social housing, which means that many have to rent on the private rental market. That is not normal, Thodé thinks. Certainly not in a rich country like the Netherlands, of which these islands have been part for thirteen years. “The situation has only gotten worse in recent years. That has to change and it can be done differently.”
The Commission concludes that minimum incomes in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands must therefore be significantly increased. A number of costs must also be reduced, such as the costs for private rental properties.
There should also be more social housing. Income-related allowances must also be introduced, such as child benefit and energy allowance.
Life is more expensive due to import taxes
The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) believes that the government should take measures before the summer of 2024 to tackle the worst poverty. Not only do revenues need to increase, says the municipal interest group, costs also need to be reduced. Food, healthcare, energy and drinking water are major costs for many islanders.
“Everything is imported on small islands like Saba,” says Saba representative Bruce Zagers. “The costs of food and doing business cannot be compared to those in the Netherlands.” The costs are increased further by, for example, import taxes.
Big problem for the islands, small problem for the government
The cabinet has pledged to allocate 30 million euros next year to improve the purchasing power of the residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. If that money is used specifically where it is needed, it can help the situation on the islands.
“It shouldn’t be made more complicated than it is,” says Thodé. There is not yet a complex system of regulations in the Caribbean Netherlands as we have in the European part of the Netherlands, so that makes simple solutions to the current problems possible.
According to the committee, relatively speaking, this is not a very big problem for the Dutch government. The population of the three islands is not even the size of an average Dutch provincial town. “But for the people on the islands it is a very big problem that must be solved quickly,” said the chairman.
2023-10-06 16:02:05
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