17 Oct 2005

Air Vanuatu shareholders to meet to discuss troubles

6:28 am on 17 October 2005

Vanuatu's finance minister says shareholder representatives of Air Vanuatu will meet this week to try and sort out the national airline's troubles.

Moana Carcasses says reinstating 26 sacked Air Vanuatu employees could be a solution to the lingering industrial dispute between the airline and the National workers Union.

Mr Carcasses says he disagrees with the manner in which the 26 employees were sacked last month.

He says the airline management has combined the need to reduced the number of workers with disciplinary measures against staff.

"The three shareholders will sit and try to listen to the report of the minister responsible for the airline, and then we are going to try and make a decision for the benefit of the people of Vanuatu, I mean a majority, not the benefit of a minority."

Vanuatu's Finance Minister, Moana Carcasses.