The Airport Authority (AA) may be liable to pay ten of thousands of dollars to workers it terminated after the creation of the Nassau Airport Development (NAD) Company based on a ruling by the Industrial Tribunal awarding one former employee more than $20,000.

The ruling in the case of Harold Rolle versus the Airport Authority was handed down last Friday by president of the Tribunal Harrison Lockhart.

According to information contained in the ruling, Mr. Rolle was transferred on December 6th 2000 from the Ministry of Works to the AA. The transfer took effect from November 1st 2000.

The Vancouver Airport Services (YVRAS) was contracted to manage the Lynden Pindling International in 2006 during the Christie Administration, with NAD being created to function as the subsidiary company to run the facility.

NAD did not offer Mr. Rolle a position and there was reportedly no need for his services by the AA. The AA advised Mr. Rolle via letter on March 2007 that the government had decided to offer him a position with the Ministry of Works, and that he should report there on April 2nd for placement.

Mr. Rolle?s services were terminated on April 1st 2007 and he began working with the ministry the following day. His transfer was officially approved in December that year.

Mr. Rolle had alleged that the AA wrongfully dismissed him in its action to transfer him to the Ministry of Works.

In discussing the reasons for his decision ordering that Mr. Rolle be paid $20,710.20, Mr. Lockhart said: "That the relevant provisions of the Pensions Act and the Airport Authority Act purport to ensure that when a public officer is transferred to the (AA), his service with the (AA) shall be deemed continuous with his incumbent public service with the government of the Bahamas for the purpose of computation of pension only.

"Similarly, and for the purpose of computation of pension only, relevant provisions of the Pensions Act purport to ensure that when an incumbent employee of the (AA) is transferred from the (AA) to the public service, his service with the (AA) shall be deemed continuous with his employment in the public service."

The Tribunal said, consequently, that Mr. Rolle is due redundancy pay pursuant to the Employment Act when the AA terminated him. Mr. Rolle was not given redundancy pay.

A source at the airport, who did not wish to be named, said that the ruling could affect as many as 100 workers. However, Mr. Watson said that he does not think the number is as high as 100.

The ruling appears to have brought into question the authority of the AA to end the employment of workers initially brought into it from the public service, without paying these workers what they are owed under the law.

Edward Turner, attorney for Mr. Rolle, told the Journal yesterday that this ruling would "definitely" result in additional claims against the AA by other affected workers.

"I have another matter pending in October and several more that are being considered," said Mr. Turner.

The attorney said that most of the former AA employees that were also transferred are aware of his client?s case. Mr. Rolle?s action may therefore be ?a test case? for these workers.

Mr. Turner said that the ruling affects different workers concerned in different ways. Some workers were sent back to the public service in a similar fashion to Mr. Rolle, while others retired and some remained with NAD in somewhat undefined job circumstances.

Frank Watson, chairman of the AA, told the Journal yesterday that he was not familiar with the incident regarding Mr. Rolle, as it occurred before he took up his current post.

When asked more generally if there were any problems he is aware of with the transfers from the AA to NAD, Mr. Watson replied: "It?s been relatively smooth. There have been some bumps in the road. Some people took the transfer and then determined that they didn?t want it and those kinds of things happened. Some people took it and were ultimately terminated by NAD."

BY BRENT DEAN

The country?s homicide count rose to 54 over the weekend after a triple homicide was recorded on Saturday in the Augusta and Polhemus Street area.

According to official police reports, the three victims who succumbed to injuries have been indentified as Lavardo Armbrister, 35, of Laird Street; Sedino Smith, 33, of Yellow Elder Gardens and Vanessa Williams, 23, of Blue Hill Road.

The fatal shootings, which have left police authorities concerned about the increasing homicide rate, came just one day after a 34-year-old man was fatally shot and his 23-year-old girlfriend was shot in the leg during a home invasion on Jacaranda Street in Pinewood Gardens.

This latest incident also came just one week after a late night attack in the Cordeaux Avenue area last week Saturday, resulted in the death of 28-year-old Jason Smith. His wife, Tamara Smith, also sustained injuries.

The trio were reportedly leaving a night club in the Augusta and Polhemus Street areas when the incident occurred, according to police.

Officials said after receiving information of multiple gunshots in that area, responding officers found the lifeless body of a man on the driver?s side of a grey Chevy Impala, license number #205615 and that of another man lying just outside the front door on the passengers? side of the car.

Williams, who reportedly sustained multiple gunshot wounds, succumbed to injuries after she was transported to the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Police are uncertain as to the motive behind this incident and have commenced an intensive investigation

By Darrin Culmer

Three executives dubbed "Germany's stupidest bankers" in the press have been suspended from state bank KfW over erroneous transfers of more than 500 million euros (710 million dollars) to the bankrupt Lehman Brothers, the KfW said.

Two board members and a top risk control manager were suspended "pending final clarification of the incident" following a meeting of KfW's supervisory board meeting attended by top ministers including Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck, the bank said in a statement late Thursday.

A law firm has also been hired to see if further "consequences" are appropriate and the bank, already under fire over its rescue of IKB -- Germany's biggest casualty of the subprime crisis -- will subject its business procedures, especially those of risk management, to an "in-depth audit."

The bank state-owned lender mistakenly transferred more than 350 million euros to Lehman Brothers on Monday after the US investment bank filed for bankruptcy protection, and according to the Bild daily the total exposure has since been established at 536 million euros.

"I have never experienced anything like it in my life," Bild quoted Steinbrueck as saying after the meeting.

Local businessman Craig Flowers yesterday donated $100,000 to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on behalf of his companies to assist in recovery efforts in Inagua following Hurricane Ike, which impacted the island more than a week ago.

Flowers, who heads FML Group of Companies, made the presentation at NEMA's office at the Churchill Building in downtown Nassau.

FML owns various companies, including security firms, and local web shops.

"The CEO (Flowers) contacted me and indicated that his staff and members wanted to donate some funds and they did that," said Commander Stephen Russell, NEMA's director. "I got directives that I was allowed to receive the funds because the staff had a desire to make a contribution. Citizens of The Bahamas, regional friends of The Bahamas or international friends who have a desire to make a donation to the disaster relief effort, we welcome the funds, cash, food or building material."

According to Flowers, after speaking with Commander Russell about the needs of the Inagua residents, FML staff and members decided that they wanted to assist by donating funds for food and building supplies.

Commander Russell said the funds will go a long way in assisting the residents of Inagua as they try to bring some normalcy to that island.

Already, NEMA has received $100,000 worth of building supplies, which were donated last week by a group of companies, including The Paint Center, FYP, and Tile King at Builders Mall. Among the items donated were plywood, roofing felt, shingles, nails, hammers and saws.

"At this time we are getting reports from our assessment team on the ground that some 230 homes have been affected. We now go into our repair and reconstruction phase, so definitely the funds are timely. We now seek to procure some additional building material and get them down to the island as quickly as possible," Commander Russell said.

He added that a team of volunteers was in Mathew Town, Inagua, assisting with rebuilding efforts.

"We are working with a 10-day window and Wednesday is our tenth day, so we have a barge going to Inagua Tuesday afternoon which will [deliver] our large shipment of building supplies," Commander Russell said.

Providing an update on restoration efforts in Grand Bahama, Commander Russell said the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) has advised NEMA that some power would have been restored by yesterday evening. In addition, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) had completed about 50 percent of restoration of land line phones and cell phones were operational on the island.

He said BTC has indicated that its work will be completed by October 6 and BEC's work may be completed by the end of September.

In terms of the water, Commander Russell noted that the water system is good. He said the aim is to have the island back to normal as early as possible so that residents will be able to enjoy their Christmas holiday.

By BIANCA SYMONETTE