More than 70 jobs across the LIAT network have been made redundant, a move that may stall this weekend’s talks between unions and the airline’s management.
But union leaders could not say today whether the job cuts would trigger industrial action.
In a bid to cut spending, LIAT closed its city ticketing offices and issued redundancy letters earlier this week advising ticketing staff that their services will no longer be needed at the end of June.
The action by LIAT management has placed this weekend’s scheduled talks at the Antigua-based headquarters in jeopardy, said Senator Chester Humphrey, who leads a regional consultative committee of trade unions within LIAT’s regional network.
“I don’t know what we meeting in Antigua to discuss,” said Humphrey. “You can’t go issuing termination letters when matters pertinent to the impending termination (are) not yet resolved. This is a total breach of any normal regular industrial relation process, especially one in which we are trying to build a working relationship going forward.”
But while the unions had been aware that the airline was contemplating the cuts, the unions are unhappy with this latest development with the leader of the union team labelling the actions a “total violation of the spirit of our discussion and our engagement”.
“We have been negotiating the terms of the exit and a protocol governing this thing. Those talks were inconclusive,” Humphrey added. “We were supposed to meet last week and LIAT called for a postponement of that meeting to be set this week and even before us meeting again, they have issued these letters.
“I consider that a gross violation of the spirit of engagement that we’ve been trying to work so hard to build with the company and I also consider (it) really just gross disrespect for the union,” said Humphrey of Grenada’s Technical Allied and Workers Union (TAWU).
LIAT spokesman Desmond Brown declined comment, saying he was “not in a position to volunteer any information”.
Humphrey said he was unable to reach Human Resource Manager Ilean Ramsey up to late Wednesday, despite “numerous attempts” throughout the day.
It remained uncertain Thursday whether the job cuts would trigger industrial action.
“Our course of action will arise from consultation between the unions and I am not in a position to say what that course of action will be at this point. What I can tell you, within the next 24 hours, there will be consultations back and forth – that has, to some degree already started,” Humphrey said.
Last week, LIAT faced criticism from the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union after letters were issued system-wide offering voluntary separation and early retirement packages. The airline said it was part of its “strategic efforts to reposition itself as an efficient and successful airline”.
AWU General Secretary Senator David Massiah advised AWU members not to take the packages and accused the airline of offering the packages before finalizing details with the unions. (CMC)
