The Air Terminal Services board will be seeking legal opinions on the missing five point two million dollars dividend that was paid to ATSET for its beneficiaries.

Board Chair, Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum today confirmed there’s a possibility of reporting this matter to FICAC, the police and even calling for a national inquiry through parliament.

He has set the records straight on claims made by unions about non payment of dividends to ATSET.

”Claim is not only a blatant lie but also requires an investigation of the highest order because more than five million dollars of ATS staff money is today unaccounted for. It was only after ATS clarified the union claims about lack of dividends since 2005 did the whole country know that something very fishy was going on at ATSET.”

Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the recent media statements by ATSET general secretary Vili Finau on dividends is false.

” Last Friday ATSET Secretary Vili Finau categorically told the media that only dividend ATSET had received for its beneficiaries was around 556 thousand dollars received in 2016. We at ATS deny this and we are still adamant that more than 5.7million dollars in dividends has been received by ATSET on behalf of beneficiary ATS staff since 2005.”

He says the very politicians and unionists such as Felix Anthony who have encouraged and cajoled striking ATS workers to continue with their illegal actions have now very conspicuously side-stepped and evaded the issue of the missing workers money.

”Where is the money? The continued politicization of the ATS issue must not distract us from seeking public accountability. These dividends were for the workers were ironically marching yesterday in protest of better conditions and pay. It’s shocking that even after not being able to account for such a large sum of money, FASA secretary Vili Finau is seemingly sweeping this missing 5.2million dollars under the carpet and is refusing to comment further on this.”

Sayed-Khaiyum has called on the striking ATS workers to ask for an inquiry into this matter.

”In the meantime there is stopping the workers who are the beneficiaries of ATSET from immediately demanding for a police inquiry into this most scandalous of affairs and put to task their officials and political supporters in order to find out what happened to their 5.2million dollars. They must do so for themselves and their families. They must rightfully demand what is theirs.”

Meanwhile, the ATS chair also says the claims about no pay increases is an outright lie as they have ample evidence of pay increases of many staff.

In terms of COLA not being paid out for several years, Sayed-Khaiyum says it has been an ongoing issue because the unions have not been willing to negotiate in good faith.