LIAT meeting underway

Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and his Vincentian and Antiguan counterparts Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and Baldwin Spencer are meeting behind closed doors at the Barbados Hilton discussing the future of regional airline LIAT.
And while they expect to be joined at 1 pm by officials of the unions representing the airline’s workers, the head of the union delegation has indicated that meeting could be short-lived.
Senator David Massiah of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union told NATIONNews this morning as the leaders met that his intention was to deliver a letter on the unions’ concerns about the path being charted for the employees of the Antigua-based carrier.
He said he could not promise much more than that based on the little time set out for this afternoon’s discussions.
“They gave us a copy of the strategic plan for the company which outlines what they plan to do – to downsize,” he said.
“We have not had the opportunity to go through anything…Here it is they sent us a strategic plan and yet we don’t have enough time, based on the agenda.
“There is an item on the agenda – identification of agreed action – but we will not be able to agree on anything, so at the end of the day where do we go?” he added.
Massiah said the process suggested that there was no real interest in the unions’ input.
Similar sentiments have been expressed by Chairman of the regional grouping of trade unions representing LIAT workers Chester Humphreys who is not attending the meeting. (DP)