Air travel in The Bahamas can be sustained without Bahamasair.
Board Chairman Basil Sands said Monday that this was clearly demonstrated with the sick-out by the employees that has affected the national flag carrier since Sunday afternoon.
More than 100 Bahamasair workers called in sick Sunday, in an effort to force management’s hand in addressing several outstanding issues including the company’s inability to pay increases that were due in July. And is not expected that the employees will return to work today.
Mr Sands said the airline’s union should be aware that Bahamasair is not profitable, is not a monopoly, is heavily subsidized by the government and that there are other viable alternatives to provide airlift.
The industrial action has caused the airline more than $100,000 in incremental expenses for wet leasing and other passenger accommodations. Additionally, more than $200,000 was lost through endorsing coupons over to charter operators and other foreign carriers.
“It is abundantly clear that this was no sick out, but a pre-meditated, illegal industrial action. It is selfish, uncaring and inconsiderate on the part of the union to have attempted to inflict undue hardship on the traveling public and further financial burden on the taxpayer. This action by the union seems to have been timed to coincided with our peak demand going into the Thanksgiving and Christmas season,” Mr. Sands said.
“We are extremely disappointed with the unjustified action the part of the AAAWU since there were no outstanding industrial issues that in our view warranted such action, especially in light of the lengths of which the airline has gone to keep Bahamasair afloat and protect the jobs of the staff,” he said.
Over the weekend angry Bahamasair passengers had to hop on other airlines, resort to charter flights or stay wherever they were as all eight Bahamasair aircrafts remained grounded. The sick-out affected dozens of flights between Florida and Nassau and Nassau and Freeport and the other Family Islands.
However, according to information reaching the Guardian, even though the union represents more than 400 employees, just over 100 members in Nassau participated in the sick-out, with their counterparts in Freeport and the other Family Islands reporting to work.
When the Guardian caught up with AAAWU president Nellerine Harding early Monday morning at the Labour Board where she met with Labour conciliator Keith Archer, she wished her members a “speedy recovery” from their illness.
She reported that management acknowledges that there were several outstanding grievances, but to date has failed to bring a number of them to a satisfactory conclusion.
Ms. Harding pointed out that the grievances included a dispute over two employees that were dismissed in Freeport. She said this matter has been under review for the past two months. There are also issues concerning salaries and a four per cent increment that was due effective July 1 of this year; Christmas bonus which is due the first pay period of December. The issue concerning severance pay for an employee has been resolved.
But, according to Mr. Sands in a meeting held with the union last Friday, one of the four issues raised was resolved immediately; another was resolved and confirmed to the union as being “favorably reconsidered” the remaining issues involved pay raises which management advised them are under active consideration by the Board and the minister and they would be advised of the decision shortly.
On October 28, a dispute was filed with the Ministry of Labour as a result of the company’s inability to pay increases that were due in July of this year. The airline has acknowledged the obligation and has advised the union of its inability to pay at this time, Mr. Sands said.
He went on to remind that the public is aware that the public services union has an identical issue but has not resorted to such “reckless and disruptive action.”
Bahamasair was able to accommodate all of its passengers on Sunday except for some passengers in Orlando and Miami, whom they deeply apologized to.
“We have tried to convey to the union the importance of satisfying our passengers, who happen to be our shareholders, by providing a quality reliable service to each of our destinations. Yet in the very week we commissioned the first two additional Dash 8’s bought to improve our reliability, the union has decided to sabotage those efforts with this illegal activity,” Mr. Sands said.
He said the union have rejected all proposals from the company for concessions designed to improve the financial performance of the airline.
With the company losing money on a continual basis this industrial action “can not continue for too long. We have obligations and we are hoping that this matter would be resolved satisfactorily as soon as possible,” said Mr. Sands.
He went on to accuse the union of attempting to discourage a wet lease operator from assisting the company.
“We have evidence that executives of the AAAWU attempted to dissuade a wet lease operator form assisting Bahamasair by making personal contact with the operator telling them that there was an industrial dispute and that there would be no maintenance or fuel,” he said.
However, up to press time the Guardian was unable to confirm this claim.
Despite this however, Bahamasair thanked the various charter operators for their willing assistance in accommodating its passengers during the period of unrest. Lending assistance were Southern Air, Sky Unlimited, Cat Island Air, Caribbean Air, Western Air, Falcon Air and Sun Coast Airline who agreed to fly as many rotations and for as along as Bahamasair need them to.
A meeting is scheduled between union executives and Bahamasair union at 11a.m. today at the Labour Board.
By Keva Lightbourne, The Nassau Guardian
