LIAT on the verge of staff cuts

ST JOHN'S, Antigua, CMC:

EMPLOYEES OF the regional airline LIAT were Sunday pondering their future amid reports that the carrier is on the verge of placing close to 100 of them on the breadline.

An Observer newspaper report said LIAT's Chief Executive Officer Brian Challenger last week advised some staff members that the company had suffered a loss. He said, as a result, the airline would cut staff.

LIAT employs more than 900 people in 22 destinations throughout the Caribbean. The majority of the workers, more than 600, are based in Antigua where the airline is headquartered.

On Friday, LIAT closed its Port-of-Spain city ticketing office, an indication that the staff cuts have already commenced.

"Dear Customer, please be advised that effective 4 p.m. on January 28, the LIAT Port-of-Spain ticketing office will be closed and tickets will no longer be issued from that location," the airline said in a newspaper advertisement.

The notice, issued by chief commercial officer Leesa Parris-Rudder, referred customers to the airline's hotline, website or airport office, or to a local travel agent for further assistance.

It was not immediately clear how many employees were sent home on Friday.

Contacted Sunday, LIAT's corporate communications manager Desmond Brown, said he had no comment to make at this time, adding that the airline would address the media reports in due course.