ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, March 09 2015 – Deputy leader of the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) Harold Lovell said government needs to provide other jobs for LIAT workers who might be severed if the airline’s Board gets its way.
The former tourism and civil aviation minister said this could be done through creating business opportunities for complementary aviation services.
“If you incorporate a company, the business which would be the training of pilots, there is a market out there for that, because every airline that operates at the level of LIAT around the region they are using ATR’s and this is an opportunity,” Lovell said.
The former finance minister, who is bidding for leadership of the UPP, said private investors and not the government should be the ones running such a business.
Two weeks ago LIAT’s board of directors decided to move the fleet base from Antigua to Barbados and cut 180 workers. Prime Minister Gaston Browne asked the airline to halt the decision because of the impact it would have on the nation’s economy.
Lovell said Antigua and Barbuda cannot simply keep saying “no” to LIAT without putting forward a viable solution to its financial problems.
“LIAT has to downsize, I mean, I know perhaps, it’s politically incorrect for me to say that. But the point is if you run a restaurant and you have 50 tables and you employ, for argument sake, one person per table, and then you have 20 tables you would not keep the 50 employees when you only have 20 tables,” Lovell said. “There has to be something which allows us to absorb those workers or to have a strategy that’s going to deal with the excess capacity that you now have.” (The Daily Observer)
Get the latest headlines delivered to your phone by adding CNS to your BBM list – PIN: 55AA9DCB.
Follow us on twitter: @CNewsService
Connect with us on Instagram: @Caribbeannewsservice
