Page 4 - AHATA

DIABIERNA 25 APRIL 2025 DIARIO PAGINA 9

ATIA, CUA y AHATA ta recorda KvK cu

nan no ta representante di comercio

To the Chairman of the Board – Mr. D. Kemmerling
Aruba Chamber of Commerce & Industry
J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 10
Oranjestad, Aruba

Subject: Private Sector Employer Representatives
Dear Mr. Kemmerling and Aruba Chamber of Commerce Board Members
By means of this letter, we would like to inform you of the following. The Boards, of the Aruba Trade & Industry
Association (ATIA), The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA), and Commerciantenan Uni Aruba
(CUA) have collectively taken the stance, that the Aruba Chamber of Commerce is not an Employer Business
Membership Organization (EBMO) as sanctioned and prescribed by International Labour Organization (ILO),
and as such cannot officially represent private company interests. Our explanation of why follows below.
Taking into consideration that "the tripartite constituents of the ILO have set out two requirements for
both worker and employer representative organizations: Convention No 87 (1948) on Freedom of
Association stipulates that membership of such organizations must be voluntary AND that such
organizations must be able to act independently, subject only to the organization’s constitution and
national law. For this reason, we cannot consider the Chamber as an Employer representative because it
does not meet the ILO requirements because of your compulsory yearly contributions which go against
Convention 87. Even though, the Chamber is a "Sui Generis", you do fall in the public sector and have public
sector responsibilities. The main responsibility being to be the public register of all businesses in Aruba, and
also official advisor of the Government, but not an official representative of the private sector.
We do not rule out that in the future we can work together with the Chamber, but we cannot participate in
Chamber-led regulatory or advocacy initiatives and committees, because this may give the appearance that
the Chamber is an "umbrella organization" representing us as EBMO’s and its members, in addition to
impeding our independence of the Government.
Best Regards,

____________________ ____________________ ____________________
Herrick Henriquez Tisa LaSorte Frans Ponson
Director President & CEO President
ATIA AHATA CUA

Cc: Prime Minister of Aruba – Mr. M. Eman
Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs, and the Primary Sector – Mr. G. Wever
Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Labor – Mr. W. Cicilia
ORANJESTAD (AAN): Gremionan Comercial, AHATA,
CUA, y ATIA, a manda carta siman pasa pa Camara di Comer-
cio y Gobierno di Aruba como rectificacion cu e organisacion
di registracion no ta representante oficial di sector priva ni ta un
organisacion oficial di dunador di trabao.
Segun definicion di ILO (International Labour Organi-
zation) solamente gremio na cual companianan priva ta scohe
di ta miembro, ta considera un gremio di dunador di trabao.
Aunke Camara di Comercio ta un Sui Generis, e ta un
organisacion cu ta cay den sector publico y tin un responsabili-
dad oficial como consehero di gobierno y registracion di com-
pania na Aruba pa gobierno. Como tal, e gremionan co-
mercial ta clarifica cu Gobierno ni comunidad por considera
Camara di Comercio como un instancia cu tin derecho pa ta bos
di dunador di trabao den sector priva.