MINISTER for Civil Aviation and Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Air Terminal Services could lose airline customers if workers did not return to work.

In a press conference at the Nadi International Airport on Monday, he said airlines could be forced to seek alternative service providers.

“So it is very important that ATS staff and trustees of their shares very quickly realise what will happen.

“We are concerned about it because Government is also a shareholder. But also from an economic perspective we have to ensure that this airport continues to operate.

“It is our link to the outside world and it is the link for the outside world to Fiji.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said ATS provided a unique service at the Nadi International Airport.

“The reality is that ATS provides a particular service, and by not providing that service, the company is actually deteriorating its share value.

“Right now ATS is one of those unique companies where 49 per cent of the company is held in trust by a group of trustees from an organisation called ATSET (ATS Employers Trust) that technically holds those shares for the employees of ATS and 51 per cent is owned by the Fijian Government.

“As a result of that relationship, for decades now no other business has come into their area where ATS provides services.

“These are baggage handling, check in, engineering and all of those areas, but like I said to them last night (Sunday night) we are concerned that if they continue on this path, then of course the airlines will look for alternative service providers.

“If a company’s services are required at a reduced threshold then obviously the value of the company will come down.

“Who will lose out?

“The shareholders which includes Government and the ATSET people and their shareholders.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said workers could not leave their positions because of operational matters as they had an important infrastructure that provided an important service.

He said the workers said “they were concerned about things and they urged me to do something about it”.

“I said legally we don’t have the powers to tell the board what to do or the management what to do.

“The board is actually the right entity to tell the management what to do and they need to raise these issues with the board and the chairman of the board.

“We are deeply concerned that it would appear that many of the ordinary staff of ATS have been misled because they have not been able to demarcate between being an employee and being supposedly a shareholder.

“None of these employees have share certificates in it. Their shares are held in trust by a group of people.”