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Prime Minister Gaston Browne
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has used his budget address to recommit to the 400 former LIAT 1974 Ltd workers who have been waiting for their severance.
These workers have been awaiting their severance since the airline collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Browne said his government is determined to address the concerns especially for the workers stationed in Antigua.
“As a demonstration of this commitment, the Government will make good on its promise to cover its share of the severance owed to these workers, based on Antigua and Barbuda’s 32 % shareholding, in LIAT 1974 Ltd,” he said.
He said his government will issue a bond for the $16.7 million which represents 32 per cent of the severance liability to the 400 hundred employees.
“This will be a ten-year instrument on which payments will begin this month and continue annually, until the $16.7 million principal plus interest is fully extinguished. Our intervention will provide much-needed relief and demonstrates our dedication to fairness and justice, representing meaningful action on behalf of the affected workers,” he added.
The Government entered into a 30/70 joint venture partnership with Air Peace Caribbean Limited to form LIAT 2020 Limited.
“Demonstrating our commitment to regional air connectivity and creating an enabling environment for economic growth and development; we invested over $33 million to acquire 3 aircraft, which were part of the LIAT 1974 Limited fleet, from the Caribbean Development Bank,” he said.
The airline currently serves 8 Caribbean territories: St. Lucia; Barbados; Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, Guyana and Grenada, and its home – Antigua.
New routes will be added in the short term, including flights to the northern Caribbean starting with Tortola.
I need to get clarity on something is it liat 20 or Liat 2020?? In the radio advertising it’s liat 20 but when ever the government speaks about it, it’s liat2020 or is it two different enterties and again Gaston you promising the former workers money this month a really hope you mean it this time because people getting fed up of you and your empty promises
How many of them will die before they get some of severance Gassy? How many?
I think to my knowledge that these former liat 1974 workers has been promised their severance since before the upcoming of liat 20. yet still they are still being promised these severance. i hope every word uttered out of the mouth of Gaston is deemed to be true and not just more broken promises.
Promises, Promises all left broken. Gaston and the entire liat 1974 have been promising these workers their severance for so long and all now they still can’t get them. You found money to partner with Liat 20. You got money from the Alpha Nero that didn’t even belonged to you. What is keeping you from paying these workers. Do they have to all die? Or just forget about the money
Huh! Again?
Not the same old, same old offer, but their correct sum?
Ah wonder why all of ah sudden, arl dem giving an promises?
Snap elections or ah one survey shows that the people fed up?