Caribbean Airline Warns of Possible Pilots Strike at Easter

SAN JUAN – Caribbean regional airline LIAT warned on Friday that its pilots may strike over the Easter holiday amid an ongoing labor dispute.

“Threatening industrial action shortly before a public holiday, in this case, the Easter period, is a common, often repeated and cynical tactic employed by LIALPA (Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association) to exploit the fears of the traveling public,” LIAT Chief Executive Officer David Evans said in a statement.

LIALPA has been calling on the airline to reinstate two pilots who were dismissed following an incident last October in which one of the company’s new aircraft was damaged.

Union and airline representatives met earlier this week with Steadroy Benjamin, labor minister of Antigua and Barbuda, where LIAT is based, and a subsequent statement indicated that officials supported the reinstatement of the pilots.

The pilots allege that LIAT has resorted to eliminating meal breaks and increasing work hours to compensate for a steadily declining workforce.

LIALPA said the arduous working conditions have resulted in the regional carrier’s losing 10 percent of its pilots over the last year.

The union said LIAT’s flight schedule was likely to be disrupted in the coming months by “inevitable industrial action.”

LIAT responded by blasting the pilots from threatening a work stoppage during a peak travel period in the region.

“I have had dealings with numerous pilot associations over many years and in many jurisdictions. These dealings have often been tough and uncompromising, but always based on mutual respect and a clear understanding of the needs of the business. This has not been my experience with LIALPA,” Evans said.

“We will do everything we can to minimize industrial action over the Easter period, for the sake of the traveling public. If, however, there is significant disruption, the resulting financial crunch would mean that salary payments would be further delayed, and the airline would be unable to meet the demands of its creditors,” he said.

LIAT, which offers daily travel to more than 21 cities in the Caribbean, is jointly owned by the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.