Dear Editor,

Much is being said these days about LIAT (2020) and the gains over the year. There is even a rebranding of LIAT Air taking flight.

But while these conversations continue, one painful question remains unanswered: what about the former LIAT 1974 Ltd workers who were left behind without their severance?

Hundreds of loyal employees gave decades of service to LIAT, keeping the airline alive through its many storms. Yet, when the company collapsed, we were left with nothing.

The Antigua and Barbuda Government made an offer, but the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) and its General Secretary, David Massiah, urged us to reject it with promises of a “better deal.”

To this day, no better deal has come. Instead, we remain broke, abandoned, and struggling to survive.

It is disheartening that they have not settled their obligations to the men and women who carried LIAT on their backs for decades. We deserve more than silence. We deserve answers.

Where is the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union in this fight? Where is David Massiah, who encouraged us to turn down the government’s offer?

Why are former employees being treated as though our years of sacrifice are worthless?

As plans for LIAT Air move forward and talks of even flying to the US and UK, let us not forget that justice is still owed to the workers of LIAT 1974 Ltd.

We demand accountability, we demand answers, and above all, we demand fairness.

Sincerely, A former LIAT 1974 Ltd Worker