Caribbean Star, LIAT merger talks progressing

Dec.08.06

The issue of union representation for staff has not been resolved, but competitors LIAT and Caribbean Star are reporting progress in their merger talks.

Tuesday, LIAT CEO, Mark Darby, and his Caribbean Star counterpart, Skip Barnette, said their joint discussions toward joining forces and creating a new airline “combining the best of the two carriers” were moving forward.{{more}}

“It’s clear that everyone understands the urgent mission that we all share, which is to safeguard the future of air travel within the Caribbean. Caribbean Star’s operations cannot continue to be subsidised by our single shareholder when there is little hope for improvement in its capacity to earn profits in the current environment,” he stated.

Agreeing with this view, Darby said progress gained in the past month “has placed the region’s long-term prospects for viable air service on stronger footing”.

The two bosses also indicated even though the issue of union representation for staff at the new planned airline has not yet been resolved, they recognised and respected every employee’s right to seek such representation. While LIAT workers currently enjoy union representation Caribbean Star employees do not. (Barbados Advocate)