The St. Lucia government has made good on its promise to make severance and other termination benefit payments to former workers of the Antigua-based airline, LIAT (1974) Limited following the collapse of the company in 2020.
Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre a few months ago said that as part of its policy to prioritize the interests of St. Lucian workers, LIAT workers will be paid.
Pierre, who had during the budget presentation in July, first announced the plans to meet the outstanding payments to the LIAT said that the approximate value of the compensation package for the former employees would exceed six million EC dollars.
LIAT (1974) has since gone into liquidation after more than four decades of operation in the region and Pierre said that his administration had entered into an agreement with the non-management LIAT workers who had been terminated by the closure of the company.
All this comes as the government of Antigua and Barbuda is still in the negotiation stage with the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union over severance and other payments.
The government’s last offer was a 50% compassionate payment. The ABWU has since written to Prime Minister Gaston requesting a meeting to further talk about his offer.
It is unclear whether that meeting will take place before the holiday season.
Please stop repeating the inaccurate statement that Liat workers were offered 50 percent. It is a lie. If we were truly offered that, we would have accepted.
They were offered 50% in bonds and cash however Gaston Browne said last week be was willing to now offer 50% cash only. I think the story is accurate. Just pray you all get the money like jolly Beach staff sbf hush