The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMASAIR pilots will not receive previously negotiated salary increments or lump sum payments as a consequence of their “illegal industrial action” last month, according to Bahamasair Board Chairman Valentine Grimes.

Mr Grimes told The Tribune on Friday the board has decided to “take that offer off the table” in addition to not paying the pilots who participated in a two-day sick out.

Shortly before Christmas, dozens of Bahamasair pilots failed to report to work, leaving thousands of travellers, foreign and domestic, stranded in New Providence and Florida.

Mr Grimes said the “illegal protest” caused Bahamasair nearly $1m. “It costs us nearly $1m in expenses and because of that we had to withdraw an offer for salary increments and lump sum payments. We are not in the financial position to do that anymore; we could have used the money we had to spend on fixing that mess,” he said.

“We also recommended that they not be paid for the days they did not work; there is no way they can expect to. During negotiations with the union they requested a lump sum payment for two years and increments for three years. We offered them the lump sum payment for two years and 50 per cent in salary increments. But now, we are taking it all off the table. During our next meeting we will advise the union appropriately. It was an unfortunate series of events, that cost us and something has to be done.”

On Thursday, Deputy  Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis said he has given directives on what he “expects to occur” regarding the punitive fates of the Bahamasair pilots.

At the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade, Mr Davis told TheTribune 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.