ABWU Condemns PM Browne’s Recent Attempts at Union Busting

Prime Minister Gaston Browne continues to be deceitful about the Government's willingness to properly resolve the LIAT 1974 Ltd severance matter. At a recent ceremony to mark LIAT 20’s inaugural flight, Browne falsely accused the Antigua & Barbuda Workers’ Union of stymying efforts to bring about a resolution. Browne also reiterated his plans to bypass the workers’ legally recognised bargaining agent, in an attempt to coerce workers into accepting the Government's latest offer of 32% of severance.

The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union reiterates its position that no fair and reasonable settlement can be reached without genuine dialogue that involves the Union and the workers they represent. Since the collapse of the airline in 2020, the Government and court-appointed Administrator have turned a deaf ear to the numerous calls for dialogue made by the Union. Instead, the Gaston Browne Administration has been relentless in its attempts to bully workers into accepting an inferior offer that was unilaterally decided upon by his Government. Why is the Browne administration so vehemently opposed to meeting at the negotiating table with the workers’ representative?

We wish to remind the Prime Minister that the workers’ right to representation is enshrined in our local laws and protected by the International Labour Organisation Convention No. 98 of 1949, which asserts the workers’ Right to Organise and to Collective Bargaining. Attempting to engage workers directly and ignore their legally recognised representative is unacceptable! The Prime Minister ought to be ashamed of himself for being the principal advocate for such disgraceful, union-busting tactics in what is supposed to be a modern, democratic country. Every progressive society in the world is one where workers’ rights to collective bargaining are protected and unions are seen as partners in development and not “impediments” as the Prime Minister has described the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union. No amount of insults, threats or disingenuous maneuvers can subvert the workers’ right to representation at the negotiating table.

The Prime Minister’s recent pledge of 10 million dollars by year-end towards supporting former LIAT staff is nothing more than a rehashing of his Government’s so-called “compassionate offer” which was overwhelmingly rejected by the workers. This disingenuous offer appears to be an attempt to prey on vulnerable and desperate workers, and ultimately manipulate them into relinquishing their rights to a fair and reasonable severance settlement. It is shameful and disgraceful for a government to treat workers in this manner!

Sadly, though not surprisingly, this Government’s anti-worker posture has continued into this new era of LIAT 20. We are aware that staff who transitioned from the former entity are subjected to rates of pay that are below industry standard, and in some cases earn as little as half of their previous salaries. These workers have been twice violated by a brutish administration. These moral and economic atrocities are precisely the reason that this government has gone above and beyond to exclude the Union from the entire process. We call on the government to make available for public scrutiny, the full details of its agreement with Air Peace. This government has had a long history of entangling the nation in disadvantageous arrangements with private entities.

The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union maintains that the workers of LIAT 1974 Ltd and Caribbean Airport Services (CAS) – a subsidiary of LIAT – have a right to their severance! No legal maneuver or ill–will can suspend that right. It is ironic that the Prime Minister, in his latest comments, would have purported that his Government believes in “fairness and equity” when his actions demonstrate the opposite. Where is the fairness and equity in dispossessing workers of their severance entitlement? Where is the fairness in dictating that the workers must accept a minuscule fraction of their severance? Where is the fairness in shutting out the workers’ representatives from the process? We insist that the workers deserve a better deal! This offer of 32 % of severance does not even take into consideration the diminished value of each dollar due to skyrocketing inflation. The former workers of LIAT 1974 have been subjected to unimaginable hardship and contempt by the government, simply because they remain firm in asking for what is fair and right. We insist 32% of severance MUST NOT be the final settlement.

The Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union calls on the Prime Minister to respect the workers’ right to severance and representation. Respect for these fundamental rights will provide the common ground for the workers, the Union and the government, to reach a fair and final settlement on this issue.