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  • Former LIAT employee awarded US$1.55 million in age discrimination case

Former LIAT employee awarded US$1.55 million in age discrimination case

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Virgin Islands Daily News – A former LIAT employee fired as a result of age discrimination was awarded $1.55 million in damages by a jury on St. Croix on Tuesday.

“I think the message it sends is that there’s no place for age discrimination in the Virgin Islands, and LIAT fired a man who worked there for 47 years and essentially threw him out the door with no notice, simply because he was, in their mind, too old to do his job, even though he was doing his work competently and well. They judged him on the basis of his age and not his performance, and they made up reasons for firing him that we proved to the jury were false,” attorney Vincent Colianni said Wednesday.

The employee, William Cherubin, began working for LIAT as a ticket agent on St. Croix in 1968, and was promoted to ground operations manager in 1973, according to a complaint filed in V.I. Superior Court in 2017.

In 2011, LIAT offered all employees over age 62 a retirement package in exchange for voluntary resignations, but Cherubin wanted to keep working and declined the offer.

On June 4, 2015, LIAT fired Cherubin without notice, citing “several incidents involving violations of company policy,” including two alleged incidents that occurred in 2009 and 2012, according to the complaint.

The other incident was resolved in March 2015 when Cherubin reimbursed LIAT for a bounced customer check, according to the complaint.

“LIAT’s actual reason for firing Cherubin was his age,” according to the complaint. “Cherubin was 70 at the time he was fired. LIAT assigned Cherubin’s job responsibilities to a younger manager.”

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Diane Shurland is LIAT’s legal Counsel and Company Secretary.

The V.I. Code prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of age, but Colianni said convincing a jury that age discrimination occurred is easier said than done.

“It’s hard to prove because there’s rarely direct evidence of discrimination,” Colianni said. “We had to prove it through circumstantial evidence by showing their reasons for firing him — their excuses for firing him — were false, were not believable.”

Colianni said employers throughout the territory should be on notice that firing someone purely on the basis of age is illegal, and potentially costly.

“We’re thrilled with the verdict, we think it sends that message not only to LIAT but to all employers in the Virgin Islands,” Colianni said.

The jury in the case found that LIAT unlawfully discriminated against Cherubin, and awarded him monetary damages totaling $1,551,320.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]