LIAT board urges pilots to return to work, calls industrial action "irresponsible"

The board of the regional airline LIAT met in Antigua Thursday to discuss the four outstanding matters that has caused flight disruptions across the Caribbean region.

For the past two days pilots who are members of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) have failed to report for duty causing LIAT to cancels flights, leaving thousands of passenger stranded at airports across the region.

The focus of Thursday's meeting was to put measures in place to restore service and to deal with "the severe distress that this action has caused the Caribbean public", the airline said in a media release.

The board instructed management to take definitive steps to end what it called "the intermittent unwarranted industrial action" by pilots.

It said it views the action as "irresponsible" and urged pilots to return to work immediately "in order to provide the services critical to the socio-economic well being of the region."

The release stated, "Given the issues highlighted by LILAPA as the basis for the industrial action the Board expressed surprise that the Caribbean public is being held to ransom in this manner."

LIALPA’s latest media release listed four areas of contention, which the board considered:

1. Pay all monies that are owed due to illegal deductions made from salaries
2. Settle all retroactive public holiday payments
3. Address concerns about the status of current pension deductions
4. Sign off on a new contract immediately following the arbitration judgment

With regard to item #4, the board stated that the management looks forward to the report of the Arbitration Panel and is fully committed to complying with its findings.

On the matter of deductions relating to Medical Benefits and Education Levy the board stated that is a matter between the Government of Antigua and the two pilots affected.

It promised to liaise with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to ensure a speedy resolution of this matter but stated that this is in no way a LIAT matter.

On the question of holiday pay the board the airline said it has been making the payments since July 2009 but noted that the pilots are contesting the date from which back payments should be made.

In its media release the board noted that since CLICO is the fund administrator it is waiting for a resolution of that matter.

"This issue is on the agenda of the three major shareholder Prime Ministers and is being given the highest priority," the board said.