Caribbean Airlines' pilots: PM must intervene in salary dispute

The TT Pilots Association (TTALPA) is calling on the Prime Minister to urgently intervene to settle salary increases for Caribbean Airlines (CAL) pilots, four months after the Finance Minister authorised those increases.

At a press conference at Normandie Hotel, St Ann's, on February 27, TTALPA industrial relations representative Timothy Bailey said the union referred the delay in the payment of the new salaries to the Ministry of Labour after CAL failed to implement the increases.

Last October, Finance Minister Colm Imbert intervened in the public dispute over pilots' wages, authorising CAL to settle negotiations for two periods –2015-2020 and 2020-2023– with four per cent offers for both periods.

But Bailey said although a collective agreement was signed on December 11, to date, pilots' have been paid "only a percentage of the payment." On February 20, the union called on pilots to stop working on their days off. The union also paid for a billboard on the western side of BWIA Boulevard, Piarco, to call on CAL to settle the wage negotiations.

He said CAL and the union went to the Ministry of Labour on February 24 for conciliation.

"On Monday, we had conciliation and members of management and the legal representatives for the company presented themselves at the Ministry of Labour and unfortunately, they were unable to give a position, a counterproposal or participate fully in conciliation with the pilots, and the representative body of the pilot body as it relates to the negotiation for 2020-2023."

Bailey said the union was told CAL's board has not met to discuss the increase.

"To date, we have received no counter proposals at the ministry.

"For the first time, we are hearing they are doing a lot of stuff and they busy and there was some safety issues with the airline, and we are saying that CAL is not a parlour, it is an established entity with a functional HR and IR department and most importantly, it caters not only locally but internationally to clients."

He said the board was stalling on signing the collective agreements.

"We are saying that the excuses that were given at the Ministry of Labour are not justifiable and unfortunately, that where we sit currently its another excuse and another trick to kick the can down the road.

"We believe that we, as the pilots, stands to lose as we are aware that we are in an election season, if the government calls an election, it means there can be no dissemination of funds once the elections is called and Parliament is dissolved."

He called for Dr Rowley to intervene.

"We know the dog wags the tail and it's not the opposite. Is it that the tail is wagging the dog here? Because the Minister of Finance has given approval since October 30, this is public information, and the board is doing its own thing and that is the reason why, if the Minister of Labour weight is not enough, we are calling on the Prime Minister of TT to intervene because he clearly understands the importance of the pilots."

Rowley left the country on February 26, hours after announcing he would step down as PM on March 16. Energy Minister Stuart Young is the acting prime minister.

Bailey said CAL was in "every thing" related to Carnival as he called on the airline to prioritise its core function.

"They had a free party as recent as Saturday gone, they will be having an upcoming event, but the reality is while we understand that it would form part of their marketing strategy, the airline primary and core function is that of an aviation company, that of an airline that carries and brings customers to TT, and various destinations and integral in that process is the jobs of the pilots of Caribbean Airlines."

He said the ten-year negotiation has taken a toll on pilots and was stressful. He said there was no justification for the delay.

"We are being advised that the company sitting on this negotiation is as a result of the company's intention to try to negotiate articles that already exist in the collective agreement, and we are saying to do so, for a retroactive period because the period we are negotiating now is expired, makes no sense and we are recommending that the company revisit that position and that it be referred to the period subsequently."

Bailey noted that as essential workers, pilots are barred from taking industrial action.

In August 2023, 37 international, regional and domestic CAL flights were cancelled after pilots called in sick over a two-day period. Thousands of passengers were left stranded and the cancelled flights cost $15 million. A day later, the Industrial Court granted CAL an injunction ordering the pilots to return to work.

Bailey called on CAL's board to be as disciplined as pilots in dealing with wage negotiations.