The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Minister Shane Gibson yesterday said he was not worried about the latest threat from Bahamas Airline Pilots Association President Joseph Moxey who said Bahamasair pilots were prepared to “take things to the next level” if their salaries were cut for calling in “sick” last month.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Gibson said he was hopeful that cooler heads would prevail in the spirit of good industrial relations.

The minister explained that so far, amicable discussions had taken place with a view to squashing the dispute.

“They always have options, and so do we,” Mr Gibson said. “Whenever an organisation or a person does things, it should be known that repercussions will follow, whether they be positive or negative.

“I am sure cooler heads will prevail in this matter. While we are having some good talks, I am not worrying about their threats to take things to the next level because it’s as simple as this: if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.

“We have the proof that they were not sick and that they wrote our international affiliates telling them not to provide services. We have all we need to do what we have to do.”

The proof to which Mr Gibson was referring is contained in two documents, obtained by The Tribune, in which it was confirmed that BALPA requested a ban on wet leasing to Bahamasair.

The request to all member associations was sent on December 23, 2014 to the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA).

It read: “We have been informed by B-ALPA that Bahamasair Holdings Ltd management has not been willing to secure a new Collective Labour Agreement (CLA), after the previous CLA expired on December 31, 2009. Since then, no progress has been made in negotiations.

“Therefore B-ALPA would like to request immediate implementation of the following mutual assistance policies: request for ban on wet leasing.

“This request is aimed at pressuring management to agree to a new CLA negotiated in cooperation with its pilots, and which favours pilots’ compensation and avoids the use of wet leasing to the detriment of the pilot members of B-ALPA,” the document said.

On December 24, 2014 according to a second document obtained by The Tribune, Mr Moxey sent an email to Falcon Air “authorising” the airline to resume operating flights for Bahamasair.

In a follow up correspondence, Chief Financial Officer of Falcon Air Nelson Ramiz Jr wrote to General Manager of Bahamasair Henry Woods and Van Diah, deputy general manager, in which he suggests regret over the situation.

“Please find below what was sent to our Chief Pilot (Capt Robert Nylund), ‘authorizing’ by virtue of an ‘approval’ from Bahamas ALPA for Falcon to operate the flights,” Mr Ramiz said.

“Despite receiving Mr Woods’ letter earlier in the morning, the issue was dragged out until about 2:30pm when we received this so called ‘approval’ from Mr Moxey and BALPA. During this time, Robert Nylund, was in conversations trying to get clarity on the issue as Mr Moxey apparently had not acknowledged the letter.

“It makes me a bit ill thinking your passengers were stranded at the airport while this was going on. I was not in conversations with Mr Moxey and chose to allow my chief pilot to deal with them. Trust me, it was in the best interests of your passengers that I stayed in the loop, but off the phone,” Mr Ramiz added.

On Wednesday, Mr Moxey told The Tribune that his members were “legitimately sick” and were not involved in any industrial action in the days before Christmas.

He said the pilots are entitled to six sick days, without needing a doctor’s slip, and neither the management at Bahamasair nor the government can prove the pilots were not ill.

His comments came after Labour Minister Shane Gibson said the government is looking at how it can legally recover more than $1m from the Bahamasair pilots who participated in a two-day “illegal sick out” last month.

Just before Christmas, dozens of Bahamasair pilots failed to report for work, leaving thousands of travellers, foreign and domestic, stranded in New Providence and Florida during the peak travel period.