After a three-month delay past the original deadline and a concerning lack of information from the government, Parliamentarian Shailiny Tromp-Lee has sent a series of 15 critical questions to the Minister of Labor, Mr. Wendrick Cicilia. Tromp-Lee is questioning the lack of transparency and the failure to implement the minimum wage for youth by January 1, 2026, a vital measure for protecting young workers in Aruba.
A Broken Promise:
This process was based on a motion unanimously approved in Parliament on September 1, 2025. On that day, Minister Cicilia made a formal commitment to introduce the minimum wage for youth by January 1, 2026. In good faith, Tromp-Lee withdrew her amendment to support the government’s promise for this protection.
“Today, three months late, Aruba’s young workforce remains without the legal protection they deserve. The Minister’s silence has broken the trust he requested from Parliament,” Tromp-Lee emphasized.
“I acted in good faith and withdrew my amendment based on the Minister’s promise. Now, three months after the deadline, we are witnessing a concerning silence and total lack of action,” Tromp-Lee expressed. According to Tromp-Lee, she gave the Minister an additional three months to act, but still, no updates or compliance have occurred.
Lack of Transparency:
Tromp-Lee highlighted that the process is being handled without transparency, leading to the conclusion that nothing is being done. Between September and December 2025, Tromp-Lee sent letters requesting information on progress, but the Minister chose to ignore them, forcing Tromp-Lee to send multiple reminders. It was only during the budget debate in December that the Minister admitted the process had stalled due to advice from SER, which was only delivered after a formal request from Tromp-Lee.
“It is unacceptable for Parliament to have to ‘extract’ information from the Minister on such an important issue. His constitutional duty is to proactively inform Parliament, which has not happened in this case,” Tromp-Lee stressed.
Executive Decision:
Tromp-Lee clarified that the introduction of the minimum wage for youth does not require new legislation but only a Landsbesluit (national decree). This means the implementation depends purely on the Minister’s signature and political will.
Additionally, Tromp-Lee reminded that the Minister’s own department, the Labor & Research Directorate (DAO), concluded in their September 2025 note that the introduction of the minimum wage is necessary to protect youth and comply with international standards. Currently, Aruba remains the only country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands that does not yet have this legal protection for its youth aged 15 to 17.
Aruba had hoped to make this a reality and even “celebrated” the decision on September 1, 2025, when Parliament approved the law to introduce the minimum wage by January 1, 2026, with a commitment to introduce the youth minimum wage on that same date.
Fifteen Critical Questions:
In her official letter, Tromp-Lee posed 15 critical questions, seeking clarification on the Minister’s silence and asking for the final “deadline” for the Landsbesluit to be implemented. She also questioned the use of SER’s arguments to “freeze” the process instead of implementing a parallel management plan or addressing these issues with Parliament.
“The time for hiding behind reports and advice is over. Our youth cannot wait any longer for a signature that should have already happened. I am awaiting the Minister’s response in a very short time,” Tromp-Lee concluded.
