Union officials warn that this disciplinary action could lead to more industrial disharmony at the national flag carrier.
Works and Utilities Minister Bradley Roberts, who has described the alleged sick-out as “unjustified” and premeditated illegal industrial action”, said yesterday that authorities were considering exactly how those workers will be disciplined.
Airport Airline and Allied Workers Union President Nelerene Harding said, meanwhile, that airline officials seem determined to deduct the salaries of employees who participated in the industrial action, which crippled operations at Bahamasair and cost the airline about $1 million.
According to Ms. Harding, an employee who was about to go on vacation collected her pay stub from Bahamasair on Monday and observed deductions labeled ‘sickout’.
She questioned how Bahamasair management could cut employees’ salaries for calling in sick when the industrial agreement between the airline and its union specifies that employees are entitled to two sick days before a medical certificate is required.
“It is my knowledge now that the (Bahamasair) board under the chairmanship of Mr. Basil Sands made the decision that it will deduct all employees of the monies for those two days or one day that they called in sick,” she said.
“I spoke with Mr. Sands and I told him that I thought it was really in poor taste and it shows no regard for the employees and no regard for this union. These have been the violations that we have spoken about, which are constant in this company.”
Ms. Harding also suggested that a decision to cut employee salaries could hamper future negotiations between the airline and its union.
Noting that the industrial agreement between Bahamasair and its employees will terminate in June 2004, Ms. Harding questioned how the union could be expected to negotiate in good faith.
“In another two months they’re going to be sitting across the table from us when we start contract negotiations so how do they expect to have support or expect us to even want to sit down with them in harmony when they are showing us no regard now and they want to violate our binding agreement” she asked?
“When we start the negotiations they can feel free to bring things to the table and we will see what it is, but our contract has less than six months so why try to take away something from us that we have been enjoying?”
According to Ms. Harding, the proposed salary cuts also “leave a bad taste” even as the Bahamasair executives continue to ask workers to agree to a reduction in salary and other benefits aimed at cutting costs at the cash-strapped airline.
“Why not wait until [the time for contract negotiations] comes and bring us a definite plan of where you want this airline to go? Don’t just say you want to cut staff because what they want us to give up would not equate to what they are hoping to gain,” she said.
Patricia Rahming, the employee whose salary was deducted, referred to the deductions as a “stupid and dumb” move “because I was sick before the sick-out,” she said.
According to Bahamasair Chairman Basil Sands, however, the furor over the pay cuts in response to the sickout may be unfounded as “no definitive decision” has been made.
Mr. Sands disclosed that recommendations for proposed disciplinary measures have been submitted to Minister Roberts, who has Cabinet responsibility for Bahamasair.
Minister Roberts confirmed to the Bahama Journal on Monday that he had received the recommendations and would present them to Cabinet before determining what, if any, action would be taken.
National Insurance Board employees, meanwhile, are also fighting against pay cuts following a sick-out last month that severely impacted NIB operations.
According to Public Managers Union President Winston Moss, the processing of salary deductions – which are scheduled to be taken out of the December pay packet – seems to have been done unusually quickly.
“It has been a practice that sick days, as far as being deducted, usually take a month or two for the Human Resource Department to make the adjustments, but management seems to be over anxious in ensuring that these persons don’t have a very good Christmas,” Mr. Moss said.
“All of a sudden the Human Resource Department is very efficient so [the move] seems to be kind of spiteful as if to say ‘We are going to take this out now’,” he said.
Both presidents said over zealous efforts to deduct their members’ salaries would only hurt the industrial relationships.
By Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
