After three years of financial and emotional distress, LIAT’s ex-employees in Barbados are beginning to rebuild their lives as the Government is now making good on its earlier commitment to satisfy workers’ demand for 100% severance settlement.
Just last week, many ex-employees began receiving their cheques from the Barbados Government.
The decision of the Barbados Government to concede to the workers’ claim for 100% severance validates the workers’ and Unions’ stance that full severance — 100% — is the only reasonable settlement.
However, despite this clear precedent set by the Mottley Administration, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has disgracefully reduced its so-called “compassionate” offer from 50% to 32% of severance, with a looming threat to completely withdraw any form of settlement if ex employees do not accept this offer.
For all intents and purposes, the Government’s aim has always been to bully the workers into accepting a less-than-satisfactory offer; there has never been a genuine interest in properly concluding this matter!
Meanwhile, the Government has mustered up enormous energies to pursue the Nigerian Carrier, Air Peace to invest in a Liat 2020.
They have also indicated that they are prepared to undertake a regional roadshow to acquire additional buy-in for the new venture.
But why haven’t the Prime Minister and his Government displayed a similar level of urgency and empathy when it comes to the former workers’ severance? Why isn’t the severance of these workers a priority for the Gaston Browne administration?
To add insult to injury, the Prime Minister continues to boast that his Government is free of all legal obligations to the workers while witnessing the ensuing suffering his uncaring actions have created.
The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union wishes to remind the Prime Minister that there are two ILO Conventions and one ILO Recommendation that provide specific guidance on addressing worker claims in the event of enterprise insolvency:
They are the ILO Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95), the ILO Protection of Workers’ Claims (Employer’s Insolvency) Convention, 1992 (No. 173), and the Protection of Workers’ Claims (Employer’s Insolvency) Recommendation, 1992 (No. 180).
On the matter of the Administration of Liat 1974 Ltd, we are gravely concerned that after three years, the court-appointed Administrator, Mr. Cleveland Seaforth has made no effort to apprise the Union, workers or the general public on the developments or outcomes of the administration given their significant interest in this process.
One would expect that at least on a point of courtesy, some form of communication would have been provided to the Union and workers in the spirit of transparency, and with an aim to reach a reasonable settlement.
But everything that has unfolded with regard to the administration process has been shrouded in secrecy.
In recent days, the indication coming from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is that a “new LIAT 2020” is on the horizon.
According to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, this new LIAT will be the “sustainable solution” to regional travel “leaving all the legacy issues behind.”
What we wish to know is whether the Prime Minister also intends to leave the workers’ severance behind as he pursues this new entity.
The reality is that any new airline built on the plunder of workers’ entitlements could never be a sustainable solution!
On the contrary, a sustainable solution to regional travel can emerge only where the enduring principles of justice, dignity, and respect for the rights of workers are foundational pillars.
Furthermore, all stakeholders in regional travel must be willing to embrace the principles of tripartism, evidenced through genuine engagement and dialogue with workers and their representatives. Anything short of this would inevitably collapse.
We again call on the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to do the right thing! Satisfying the workers claim to 100% severance is the morally acceptable position based on the arrangements made by the Governments of Barbados and St Lucia.
Our Union is prepared to accept an offer similar to that made by the Mottley Administration; up to $75,000 in cash and any amount above that to be paid in bonds.
Mr. Prime Minister, do the noble thing!
Let us meet at the negotiating table and settle this issue of severance so we can move forward together in finding a sustainable solution for regional travel.
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Non Payment wuld set a serious precedent.
For an entity owned by Governments to walk away from full severance payment makes a mockery of the employment ordinance. If Governments hide behind the Companies Act and skip payment why should any other corporate entity pay ?.
Talk to the government. Let them know YOU want YOUR tax monies paid to the workers. Forfeit your SS pension payment and tell them give YOURS to the workers
For the numerous ex LIAT employees living in St. Mary’s south, NEVER FORGET how the ABLP Government treated you with your severance when it comes time to vote! Samantha Marshall and Gaston Browne walk hand in hand and closely support each other.
And don’t forget how they take care of the Jolly Beach Workers. Whom they make sure that every dime of severance was paid to them. And furthermore, many got their job back in the new Jolly Beach. Please voters of St. Mary’s South do not forget who took care of you indeed.
Jolly Beach workers in St. Mary’s South remember the goodness of Labour Party government and PM BROWNE.
Shugy can’t do shit fu are you. Exposing chest and wobbly chicken legs won’t help you get your bills paid. Stick with Labour!
@ Pringle………..properly
It is not just the people of St Mary’s South that should remember the Labour Party, BUT ALL ANTIGUANS SHOULD REMEMBER THAT WHEN EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD PAID THEIR POPULACE A STIMULUS DURING COVID THAT GASTON BROWN AND ABLP NEVER GAVE A PENNY- THIS WICKED WICKED MAN THAT HATE POOR PEOPLE.
ANTIGUANS SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER THE ABLP THAT HAS ALREADY WARNED THAT WATER BILLS WILL RISE AND TAXES TOO WILL GO UP-EVEN THOUGH THINGS HARD LIKE HELL IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE OF GASTON’S POOR STEWARDSHIP!!!
I prefer a DUNCE than a THIEF- A THIEF WILL KILL TO AVOID BEING CAUGHT- A DUNCE IS GENERALLY HONEST AND WOULD THEREFORE MAKE A GREAT LEADER.
If LIAT(1974) has not been declared bankrupt by the courts up to now
Is full severance is still not within expectations …………. ?
The Shareholders have already taken the decision. The company is to be windup. Antigua and Barbuda cannot stop that any longer.
I think the Prime Minister should take Mr. Massiah up on his offer to do exactly what Mia Monthly in Barbados did. Take care of Antigua and Barbuda Workers only and maximum cash component of EC$75,000.00 and the rest in Bonds. These bonds will roll over every five years at no interest rate. Let’s say we have about 200 Antiguan workers getting each $75,000.00 is cash EC$15,000,000.00. The rest of the workers will have to go to their own government for redress. Whether or not their government was a shareholder or not. Let’s follow Mia’s example. So, it doesn’t matter who was the largest shareholder. You just take care of your own people. I keep telling you Caricom only exists in name. And those who don’t want to wake up and smell the coffee.
They will one day have a rude awakening. Remember how some of them went to Trump to be pat on the back, for taking the side of the USA against Venezuela and Cuba. Even Guyana signed a territorial agreement with the USA which will allow them to use Guyana’s land as a launchpad when they decide to invade Venezuela. Caricom is just a nice idea. But since everyone wants to remain king of their own Island, it will never work. Yes, we can have several economic treaties, like what we have with Europe, but Single Space, hell no. Antigua is the ONLY Caribbean islands that truly has practice free movement of nationals, even before it was a treaty.
Your final paragraph explains why native born Antiguans are fast becoming a rare breed and will be in the minority in their land before long. You know it as does the majority of native born Antiguans. You also know why this situation has been allowed to continue unabated. Who cares anyway? Nobody does, especially the powers-that-be.
Liat workers were stupid to let abwu foold dem. Now “WANT ALL GET NONE”!!!!
they don’t care about workers, they’re just a bunch of pretenders taking our money 😒
I would like the Union to explain why Carlisle Bay is not giving staff their full vacation pay in a lumpsome but rather break it down to every two weeks?
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