Former LIAT employees who say they are “disappointed and frustrated” by the way they have been treated over the last two years by “the four labour party Caribbean Governments”, have taken their grievance to change.org.
They are calling on the leaders of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, all of whom are the major shareholders of LIAT, to bring about a resolution to their longstanding issues.
The workers lost their jobs when the airline closed, some still owed vacation pay, and then severance.
A petition started on April 30 had almost 1 000 signatures.
“Enough is enough! We have been sitting and hoping on promises made in the letter that was sent to us by the Chairman of the Shareholders, The Honourable Dr Ralph Gonsalves, since the 29th June 2020, and to date, nothing has been done,” the former workers say.
“We are facing foreclosure, some of us have to undergo psychological help as we are at our breaking point while those with the power to intervene sit by watching our demise. We decided as a collective to share our plight on
Change.org and thus far the response has been encouraging.”
They are hoping the issue can now be handled with some urgency.
“This petition is us asking for the monies owed to us by a government-run organisation. It is sad that we had to go to these lengths just to receive the money that we worked assiduously for. We are at our wit’s end, banks are calling us, debt collectors are calling us, our children are hungry, our marriages have ended and we are at means to an end. Please, we are begging the Shareholder Governments to see to it that the money that we have earned working for their company is paid to us so that we can have a sense of normalcy,” they said.
Members of the public to join their petition by clicking the link below:
Help Former Liat Employees Receive Their Severance (PR/SAT)