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Effective April 1 st, 2017 the pensions for all pensioners and active members of the Pension Fund of the Caribbean Netherlands, PCN, will be reduced by 3.5%. Dave Levenstone has taken the initiative for a petition addressed to the responsible minister Plasterk, to urgently take the necessary actions to avoid this reduction to be applied. The petition is signed by some 300 persons.
Saba, March 30,, 2017
Dear Minister Plasterk,
We, the undersigned pensioners and active members of the Pension Funds Caribbean Netherlands would hereby like to petition you in your capacity as Minister with responsibilities for Kingdom Relations and Interior Affairs on the matter regarding the reduction of the pensions of pensioners and active members of the PCN.
We have been officially informed by the PCN that effective April 15, 2017 the pensions for all pensioners and active members will be reduced by 3.5% and in 2018 this will be reduced further with an additional 12% if the situation is not regulated on the part of the Dutch Government.
The undersigned find this to be very 1mfair to all of us that have worked so hard over the years to build up a pension for our future and we find it rather very difficult at this time to have to encounter a reduction in our pensions especially knowing that we live on an island where the cost ofliving is already very high, with little hope of any change soon.
The rule and standards that the Dutch Central Bank has set for the European paii of the Kingdom should and can never be the same as that of the islands in the Caribbean. The cost of living in the European part of the Kingdom is relatively much cheaper than that of the islands in the Caribbean. The PCN was founded based on Antillean regulations and shortly after put under Dutch regulations which is one of the main reasons that there is a problem. And therefore it is the Dutch Government to act accordingly and correct the mistake.
We feel and we are of the opinion that the Dutch Government has a responsibility to cover the shortfall of the PCN to avoid the PCN having to go over to reducing the pensions for all pensioners and active members in the Caribbean Netherlands.
If the PCN is forced to reduce the pensions because of the neglect of the Dutch Government to cover their responsibilities adequately we should not be the ones having to bear the consequences. We are hereby urging you in your capacity as the Minister with responsibilities for the islands to do all within your power to have the much-needed funds made available to avoid the reduction.
We cannot afford to just accept a reduction that we cannot be held responsible ai1d liable for. We feel that your ministry should sit down with the PCN and work out a solution in this regard. If your ministry does not find it interesting to try and solve this matter, it can be interpreted as if with all the talk about poverty your ministry is helping to increase poverty on the respective is lands.
We are hereby urging you to do all within your power to try and solve this matter in a very timely manner to avoid the PCN having to carry out their plan effective April 1st,2017.
As we await your fullest attention and action to this very important matter.
Respectfully yours,
Dave Levenstone and 289 subscribers
Note Editor:
Members of the the Pension Fund of the Caribbean Netherlands, PCN, on Bonaire have also organised protests against the announced reduction in their pensions.