THE 500 staff of the Provisional Airport Authority (PAA) would be entitled to payments totalling $100 million if legislators continued to refuse funding beyond June and the Government was forced to wind up the organisation.
Legislators have said the size of compensation for PAA staff would not be the major consideration in scrutinising any new funding proposal for the authority likely to be submitted to the Finance Committee by the end of next month.
A PAA spokesman said most of the 500 staff in senior and middle levels were recruited on a two-year contract basis, with a quarter of them, mainly supporting staff, on permanent terms.
It is the usual practice for contract staff to be paid to the end of the contract upon early termination of employment due to insolvency.
Out of the 500 staff, nine are at the senior level earning an annual salary of around $1.5 million, while about 350 are in the middle rank earning $500,000 a year and 125 are supporting staff working on a permanent basis.
Assuming all senior and middle-ranking staff are to receive compensation amounting to six months' salary, the PAA would be expected to offer around $100 million to the contract staff.
Earlier this year, the PAA's chief executive, Mr Richard Allen, left his post suddenly and was replaced by Dr Hank Townsend.
