Fly Jamaica Airways says it is making efforts to pay its ex-employees monies owed to them since November of 2018.
The company in a letter to the employees on Tuesday informed them that they will receive a redundancy payment and other benefits but did not give a deadline by which these payments will be made.
Fly Jamaica issued the letters one week after the employees met with the Ministry of Social Protection Department of Labour.
“The circumstances under which your employment was terminated entitle you to receive a redundancy payment under the provisions of the Termination of the Employment and Severance Payment Act,” the letter dated since April 29, 2019, stated.
The letter, signed by Chairman, Paul Reece further stated that the employees are entitled to payment in lieu of notice and for unused vacation leave if any.
At the June 11 meeting with Labour officers, some staff complained of not receiving a redundancy letter from the company, informing them of their employment benefits, thus increasing their fear of not being paid.
The distraught staff, some of whom were last paid since November 2018, were fearful of not receiving their benefits accrued for their years of service and their remaining salaries.
One employee told the News Room that she is owed close to $1M in salary and benefits.
The letter did not give a date for the payments to be made but one ex-employee told the News Room that they were asked to return any property belonging to the company after which they will be paid.
The date for returning of the items is June 21st to the airline’s Ogle, East Coast Demerara location.
The letter also provides for the former employees to respond with any concerns no later than June 28th.
The company fired all of its employees on March 31st, a few months after one of its aircraft crash landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
The flight, OJ256 with 118 passengers and eight crew members, crash-landed shortly after it took off for Toronto, Canada. Reports at the time suggested that the aircraft experienced mechanical difficulties, forcing it to abort the flight and head back to Guyana.
The company said it was forced to close its operations here due to the lack of aircraft and the impact that it has had on the company’s financial position.
