ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, July 06, 2010 – LIAT wishes to confirm that the decision of the LIAT-LIALPA Arbitration Panel was received on Monday 5th July 2010.
The three-member Panel which was led by retired Barbadian jurist Mr. Leroy Inniss and included Mr. Herald Wilson, retired Director-General of Civil Aviation of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and Captain Desmond Ross a retired pilot and former Chairman of LIALPA, decided upon key aspects of the new Collective Agreement.
Speaking from Antigua, LIAT’s Acting CEO Mr. Brian Challenger noted that: “What we have received represents, in our view, an extremely balanced approach to the outstanding areas of disagreement that have plagued relations between LIAT and LIALPA over a number of years.
“We now look forward to sitting down with LIALPA in arranging for the finalization of the documents to reflect the rulings and recommendations of the Arbitration Panel. Our legal and finance teams are already hard at work in this regard and we hope that we can finalize this matter with LIALPA in a timely manner,” Mr. Challenger added.
The LIAT Acting CEO continued that: “As we have maintained all along, LIAT remains committed to an equitable and just award for our pilots: one which is consistent with what is happening in the economy and industry generally, which reflects what is happening with our other employee groups, and which is sensitive to the company’s ability to continue to function as a going concern. We believe that these concerns have been factored into the Arbitrators’ rulings.”
The decision to move to arbitration followed continuing failure to resolve outstanding issues over salary and benefits between LIAT and LIALPA, and at a meeting in Kingstown, St. Vincent on 28th July 2009, which was attended by LIAT’s three lead shareholder Prime Ministers, it was agreed with LIALPA that outstanding matters should be referred to binding arbitration.
Both sides presented arguments during the process which was governed by the Arbitration Act (No. 12 of 1975) of Antigua and Barbuda.
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