Antigua To Resist Any Collapse of LIAT At Upcoming Meeting

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Prime Minister Gaston Browne (file photo).

The government of Antigua and Barbuda has reportedly pledged to resist any collapse of LIAT and any move to re-create its replacement.

“The administration is especially interested in saving the jobs of the 700 workers here in Antigua, and their need for stability and certainty. All will be done to safeguard employment,” a Cabinet statement said.

The Cabinet held a discussion on the impending meetings of LIAT’s Shareholders and of LIAT’s Directors, scheduled for Barbados on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

The Cabinet again reiterated the importance of the regional carrier to regional integration, connecting people and goods and services.

A team consisting of the P.M., Minister Yearwood, and Minister Weston, will head for Barbados next Tuesday; and the Cabinet was unanimous in the approach to be taken.     

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14 COMMENTS

  2. Gaston is an excellent negotiator. he negotiated WIOC at no cost lets see if he get LIAT at no cost too.
    Gaston we stand by ya side come rain or hurricane. Bring it home .

  4. Mr. PM you are fighting to safe the jobs of these workers. However the workers don’t seem to care very much. Because are not even willing to take a cut in salary. And what if the majority of the shareholders decide that enough is enough and are willing to cut their loses right here. I think we should face the reality now and don’t Prolong this Pain to continue. With or without LIAT we will survive somehow. And it is better we start to PrePare now for this. Our economy is strong at this time to take it. We survived Stanford closures didn’t we.
    Lets start the PreParation for the funeral. LIAT is death. A new airline will fill this void.

      • Let me tell you one thing. I made my comments based on information Provided in the Public domain. The PM may have more information to his disPosal to arrive at the Position he has. I am not that fortunate

  5. What about the sellout aka Allen CHASTANET?? Will he budge? Will he continue to support international carriers, while continuing to sideline liat??

  7. In most normal businesses shareholders are not that involved in the Policy decision of the comPany. And when they do they cannot hold management accountable. Shareholders can only vote uP or down on a resolution and elect a new chairman and directors. of the board. All that needs to change in LIAT. Shareholders should therefore be able to sell their shares if they do not believe the comPany will bring them the result on their investment. And if the comPany needs additional funding they can turn to the shareholders first and to the Public second. They can chose equity or debt financing. In all this we can see that LIAT is not run like a normal comPany. So lets start by doing so. Let the Present shareholder share be Preferential shares and let LIAT issue a ProsPectus and try to raise more funds the normal way. We all know LIAT need to restructure. Which in fact means it needs to size down. But its business model also needs to change. Everything LIAT does must be routed in good business Practices. You do not fly a route knowing you will lose on that route. There is a Price tag for doing that and someone needs to Pay for that. The so called socialistic aProach doesn’t work any longer. Let each government subsidize the flights they want for it’s citizens and or visitors. As they call it. Minimum Revenue Guarantee. If they cannot do that sorry they can rent charter services. EsPecially during high tourism Periods. I remember in the old days when LIAT just started we used to take chartered flights to go to Trinidad for Carnival. Cause LIAT was full. Six of us would Pay for a six seater flight and u we went arriving before LIAT who had to stoP in several Islands before reaching Trinidad. And quiet a few LIAT Pilots freelanced like that. In my oPinion the only solution is to cut your loses now and deal with LIAT as a business and not as a social service. I don’t think we can ask LIAT to fly to Barbuda. Didn’t the government lost its money trying to get an airline flying to Barbuda. That tells you a lot why LIAT is the way it is. I have no Problem government buying shares in a comPany and industry that is very vital to their survival but not to set the Policies that is not routed in normal business Practices. Lets stoP the madness. And no sentiments here. I you know Politicians will always look at things from a social side. That is why we chose them to look out for us. It’s like the IMF telling them to cut wages and they refuse to take that bitter Pill. Knowing it is not sustainable. In the meantime losing millions of dollars keePing Peole emPloyed. Many times I have recommended to a Politician bases on sound business Practices that some PeoPle need to be terminated and of course that never haPPened. I would hate it to know that the only reason I had a job is because the Politician doesn’t want to make the hard decision. God Bless them though.

  8. Chastenet has shown to look out for himself and St. Lucia as we have seen in the Venezuela case. He was one of them that was invited to meet with TrumP and he willingly excePted that. So no wonder a friend like that you just cannot count on in time of need. He will stab you in the back. I really hoPe that doesn’t sPeak for ALL St. Lucian’s. And St. Lucian’s should take note and deal with him at the next Polls

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