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Chairman: Mr. Ezechiel » Political Leader: Mr. Allen Chastanet » General Secretary: Mr. Oswald Augustin Upstairs AF Valmont, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, P.O. Box RB 2497, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Allen Chastanet - 722-4200 UWP ISSUES CALL FOR LIAT TO BE OVERHAULED Castri es, Saint Lu c ia ± Se pt e mb e r 25, 2013 ± The United Workers Party has been following, very closely, recent developments in the regional airline, LIAT. The Party is extremely concerned over the silence of Minister of Tourism, Hon. Lorne Theophilus and Minister of Civil Aviation, Hon. Alva Baptiste regarding the deteriorating and sub-standard service which the airline has been providing to Saint Lucian travelers over the past weeks. The operations of LIAT are critical to the tourism industry and the overall business market of Saint Lucia; notwithstanding, our dependency on LIAT for the delivery of professional and efficient service. Despite the fact that LIAT operates as a monopoly, the Airline continues to burden regional Governments financially and has consistently fallen short from the required standards which the market demands. Saint Lucians have over-extended their patience and tolerance with LIAT without the commensurate improvements from the Airline in its services. We are suspicious that decreased flights and increasing fares to Saint Lucia by the Airline is a deliberate attempt at coercing the Government to meet their demands. The United Workers Party is concerned that the Government of Saint Lucia may be yielding to the existing pressures and may have decided to invest Millions of dollars in the beleaguered Airline. UWP Leader, Allen Chastanet, in commenting on the suggestion that the Government of Saint Lucia may be seeking to invest Millions in LIAT, stated the following: ³ZH ZLVK WR FDXWLRQ WKH Admini st ra t ion to exe r c i se prudence in ensuring tha t the use of t ax-paye r s moni es should only be appli ed towards f inanc ially successf ul ventur es. At thi s st age we ar e not convinced tha t LQYHVWPHQW LQ /,$7 LV D VRXQG YHQWXUH´

Press release U.W.P Calls For Overhauling Liat

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Page 1: Press release   U.W.P Calls For Overhauling Liat

 Chairman: Mr. Ezechiel » Political Leader: Mr. Allen Chastanet » General Secretary: Mr. Oswald Augustin

Upstairs AF Valmont, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet,

P.O. Box RB 2497, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

     

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Allen Chastanet - 722-4200

 

UWP  ISSUES  CALL  FOR  LIAT  TO  BE  OVER-­HAULED       Castr ies, Saint Lucia September 25, 2013 The United Workers Party has been following, very closely, recent developments in the regional airline, LIAT. The Party is extremely concerned over the silence of Minister of Tourism, Hon. Lorne Theophilus and Minister of Civil Aviation, Hon. Alva Baptiste regarding the deteriorating and sub-standard service which the airline has been providing to Saint Lucian travelers over the past weeks. The operations of LIAT are critical to the tourism industry and the overall business market of Saint Lucia; notwithstanding, our dependency on LIAT for the delivery of professional and efficient service. Despite the fact that LIAT operates as a monopoly, the Airline continues to burden regional Governments financially and has consistently fallen short from the required standards which the market demands. Saint Lucians have over-extended their patience and tolerance with LIAT without the commensurate improvements from the Airline in its services. We are suspicious that decreased flights and increasing fares to Saint Lucia by the Airline is a deliberate attempt at coercing the Government to meet their demands. The United Workers Party is concerned that the Government of Saint Lucia may be yielding to the existing pressures and may have decided to invest Millions of dollars in the beleaguered Airline. UWP Leader, Allen Chastanet, in commenting on the suggestion that the Government of Saint Lucia may be seeking to invest Millions in LIAT, stated the following: Administration to exercise prudence in ensuring that the use of tax-payers monies should only be applied towards financially successful ventures. At this stage we are not convinced that

Page 2: Press release   U.W.P Calls For Overhauling Liat

 Chairman: Mr. Ezechiel » Political Leader: Mr. Allen Chastanet » General Secretary: Mr. Oswald Augustin

According to Mr. Chastanet, cal to the St Lucian and Caribbean economies; it requires a more competitive environment which will enable the input of fresh ideas and initiatives to ensure survival and growth of the region. We must be prepared to put in place new minds and persons with Mr. Chastanet also issued a call for the Heads of Government of Caricom to review the tenure of the Chairman of Caricom Aviation and Transportation Sub-Committee. The UWP Political Leader supports the calls from around the region for both the current Chairman of LIAT and Chairman of Caricom Aviation and Transportation Sub-Committee to tender their resignations. This is a necessary step to ensure a more objective approach to find immediate solutions for a viable regional aviation industry. The UWP wants to commend the staff of LIAT and to state that we sympathize with them as they are forced to operate in very trying and tenuous conditions. The region cannot continue to be saddled with an Airline which is unable to generate profit and continues to fall short of basic standards. We therefore advise that the Government of Saint Lucia act with extreme caution as relates to investing in LIAT. Ends/ Attch. Copy of a Sept 13th Letter from Dominican Hotelier, Gregor Nassief to Four Regional Prime Ministers