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LIAT pilots pullback protest

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A three-day protest by former LIAT employees slated to start tomorrow in Barbados and across the rest of the airline’s network has been placed on hold.

President of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) Patterson Thompson said Thursday night that he took the decision not to go ahead with the picketing at this time due to time constraints in pulling off a properly-organised demonstration across the region.

“Given the rush and the limited time, we decided to postpone the planned picketing. This would now give us enough time to properly plan it and better engage all the COPs [commissioners of police] and get feedback,” Thompson told Barbados TODAY.

The ex-workers are demanding urgent payment of the EC$120 million (US$44.4 million) in entitlements due to them since being severed almost two years ago.

In a letter dated January 6, 2022 and addressed to the Barbados Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce seeking permission to stage a peaceful protest near the Grantley Adams International Airport on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Thompson informed him it was to draw attention to the long-suffering plight of the terminated LIAT workers who have been without their entitlements for the last 20 months.

“The Leeward Islands Airline Pilots’ Association is respectfully seeking permission to demonstrate/picket on or around the Tom Adams and Pug’s Rum Shop roundabouts leading to the Grantley Adams International Airport on the 14, 15 and 16 January, 2022,” the correspondence read in part.

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“We intend to picket during the hours of 2 to 6 p.m. on either side of both roundabouts. All social distancing and mask mandates will be enforced by the individuals demonstrating/picketing. We estimate 30 members will be picketing between the two roundabouts,” the LIALPA leader wrote.

A similar letter was also written to Head of the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit Ronald Chapman on the same date.

The approximately 500 former employees of the cash-strapped regional carrier, which is currently operating limited flights, have been agitating for their entitlements since losing their jobs when the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed travel and impacted LIAT’s bottomline.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has offered a “compassionate settlement” of 50 per cent of the ex-airline workers’ severance, payable in cash, lands and bonds, or a combination of those options.

But recently, the LIALPA president insisted that neither that offer nor the $2,000 per month advance being given to the Barbados-based LIAT staff by Prime Minister Mia Mottley go far enough to deal with the ex-workers situation which was getting progressively more dire.

The advance is to be paid back at a future date from any eventual severance settlement.

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One response to “LIAT pilots pullback protest”

  1. Why announced something that is not properly plan? Plan properly and then announced. These pilots are not serious about getting what is due to them.

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]