The members of the Airport Airline and Allied Workers Union [AAAWU] which represents line staff at Bahamasair has vowed to institute a work-to-rule as of Monday, and the Bahama Journal has learned that the industrial action will likely escalate if the government does not remove a five percent pay cut from a proposed industrial contract.
Prime Minister Perry Christie is responsible for the national flag-carrier since reshuffling his Cabinet recently, and a meeting with him was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, with a second planned for Friday morning.
“And we’re hoping that between the next two days this five percent pay cut will be taken off the table and we can actually move forward with the financial part of this industrial agreement,” Union President Nellerine Harding told the Journal on Thursday.
“Our contract has been expired one year and ten months, effective this month – it’s been outstanding for a long time. We even had to demonstrate to get the company to send us a counterproposal,” she said. “After six months, that’s when they sent one back to us, so this negotiation has been a tireless one.”
Basil Sands, chairman of Bahamasair’s board, said only that the two sides were scheduled to meet on Thursday, and declined to comment any further.
Since Monday the AAAWU members have been on a mild form of “work-to-rule” – taking breaks precisely at the scheduled times instead of waiting until a convenient time for the airport’s operations, as is standard practice.
Ms. Harding explained that normally, the airline staff would work through their breaks, and be compensated for it. But that has apparently changed as workers now feel it is “more fruitful” to take their breaks on time.
“So there are some delays in regards to flights, because they’re taking their meal breaks, which will hinder operations,” Ms. Harding admitted.
Early Thursday there were long lines and delays at Nassau International Airport [NIA].
The union president told the Journal that negotiations have been stalled for almost two years over the issue of the proposed pay cut.
“We have reached an impasse and we’ve notified the former minister of labour [Vincent Peet] that we had reached this (impasse) prior to him leaving. We have notified the incoming Minister of Labour (Shane Gibson). We have also notified the prime minister, who is the minister responsible for Bahamasair, so these two meetings have been initiated by him,” she said.
“So we’re hoping that [the meetings on Thursday and Friday] are two fruitful meetings.”
According to Ms. Harding, negotiations for a new contract between the government and AAAWU have been arduous.
“We’ve even had to demonstrate just to be able to get the company to send us a counterproposal. After six months, that’s when they sent one back to us, after we (demonstrated),” she said.
Asked whether the industrial action might escalate if the pay cut is not taken off the table, her response was blunt.
“It will escalate,” she said tersely.
She said the problem of the pay cut is a long-standing one, as it was part of the government’s counterproposal after negotiations began for a new contract once the 2000 contract expired.
“And in fact, (on) all monetary issues in the contract, (the government) said they were not willing to make any move, based on the financial position of Bahamasair. The union has repeatedly, and outright said unequivocally that we are not accepting any pay cuts,” she said.
The president said that while the union has been without a contract for nearly two years, no contract including a five percent pay cut would be accepted – her members simply could not afford it, she said.
If the pay cut is taken off the table?
“Then I would say we would be able to sit down to the table and negotiate,” she assured.
“But if that (pay cut) is still their position (at the meeting on Thursday), then no-We would have to withdraw our negotiating in good faith that we have been doing for the past seven months.”
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
