The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis yesterday said he has given directives on what he “expects to occur” regarding the punitive fates of the Bahamasair pilots whose actions recently caused hundreds of travellers to be stranded in New Providence for the Christmas holidays.

Mr Davis did not reveal what punishment lies in store for the pilots, and exactly when it would be administered, however.

Last week Bahamasair pilots staged a two day-sick out in response to failed negotiations with government officials over their new contract and payment terms for increments, leaving numerous travellers – local and foreign – stranded in New Providence and Florida.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr Davis said the pilots’ “corporate sabotage” should quicken the government’s effort to privatise the cash-strapped airline. He also said the pilots may be punished appropriately for their “unlawful” industrial action.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday at the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade, Mr Davis said he stands by his previous statement and that he is not prepared to “allow the Bahamian people to contribute much further to maintaining an airline whose employees are not prepared to work with the government”.

“I’ve given my directives as to what I expect to occur,” he said. “ I don’t know what I can do to stop things like this from happening again, but what I know I am prepared to do and will continue to do is to look out for the best interests of the Bahamian people. I accept as a government we have a fundamental responsibility to ensure that our islands are serviced so that people could move freely between each island by air or sea.

“That does not necessarily mean that the government has to own the vehicle by which that objective or responsibility is to be discharged. That’s where we are today. And I think Bahamasair pilots have to understand that.” 

Last week Mr Davis hit out at the “irresponsible” and “selfish” acts of the pilots.

He said their actions did not give the government any reason to consider expanding services or routes and instead highlighted the need to reduce the government’s heavy financial investment in the airline, which he called a financial burden.

He suggested that the pilots may be punished for their actions, and added that the costs incurred from the sick out may prompt him to withdraw the government’s proposal for the pilots’ new contract.

A well-placed source told The Tribune the pilots’ pay will be docked for the missed work days. The government is also considering asking the pilots to pay for the losses the airline incurred due to the industrial action.

On December 24, Bahamasair said it had resumed normal operations and the sick out had ended.

On Tuesday, Captain Joseph Moxey, president of the Bahamas Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), said his members were not being unreasonable in their demands for increment pay.

He apologised to the public for the situation, but said the pilots were “stressed out and mentally drained” and it was not safe for them to fly a plane in that state.