LIAT as an essential service will stifle workers’ rights – Former LIALPA chairman

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – A suggestion that regional carrier LIAT should be put under the umbrella of essential services, has been pegged as a move to deny workers’ right to withdraw their labour when there is a deadlock over a dispute.
Former chairman of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots’ Association (LIALPA) Captain Michael Blackburn said, “there is no justification for that. Aviation does not fall in that category. I’m all for resolution outside of using force. I am all for going before the labour commissioner but you are dealing with people who do not believe in mediation as a philosophy.”
His comments came on the heels of yesterday’s statement by LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ian Brunton who said, “It would be a bold move but an essential move … Aviation deserves that. Aviation is the bridge that links these islands together. These islands would hardly operate through the tourism economy and other institutions of the region couldn’t operate without the aviation services to link it together.”