CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC):

Prime Minister Stephenson King has been asked to intervene in an impasse between the St Lucia Banana Corporation (SLBC) and the Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company.

The dispute is threatening the closure of the SLBC by month-end.

Company officials say that the SLBC had already issued termination notices to 50 workers and an additional 20 will be laid off after March 31 if WIBDECO goes ahead with its plan to end its banana-supply contract with the local banana company.

Chairman of SLBC, Eustace Monrose, on Saturday, wrote Prime Minister King, calling for his intervention and seeking a meeting primarily to discuss the notice of termination of the SLBC's banana supply contract.