The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Air Traffic Controllers’ Union President Lashan Gray yesterday pledged her union’s “full support” for the air traffic controller at the centre of last month’s controversy over a diverted flight.

In a statement sent to The Tribune, Mrs Gray contended that the only entity at fault for the August 18 incident was the Department of Civil Aviation.

According to her, after BATCU members gave notice that they would no longer work beyond the 10pm services deadline because they were not being paid the overtime wages owed to them, the Department of Civil Aviation announced that it would put in place the necessary contingencies to ensure that there would be no disruption in services.

She argued that those very contingencies were at fault for last month’s incident and not the employee in question.

Mrs Gray explained that the necessary arrangements were made and services transferred to the official alternative airport listed – the Lynden Pindling International Airport in New Providence.

She argued that the flight never received official approval from a controller in Grand Bahama for an after-hours landing.

According to a statement released by the government on Wednesday, the Department of Public Service is currently investigating the incident.

Mrs Gray’s statement added: “(BATCU) will continue to stand in full support of this worker who did nothing contrary to local or international regulations of Air Traffic Services.”

BATCU has maintained that the normal operating hours for Grand Bahama’s airport are 6am - 10pm.

As previously reported, last month a Sunwing Airlines flight carrying 186 passengers into Grand Bahama from the United States had to be diverted to Nassau after an air traffic controller opted not to direct the flight in because it would have arrived past 10pm.

Transport and Aviation Minister Glenys Hanna Martin called that decision a “leveraging act” by the BATCU to get the government to bend to its way in negotiations over unpaid overtime wages.

She accused the BATCU of “strong arming” aviation officials.

On Wednesday, the government said the Grand Bahama Airport Company agreed to pay the controllers their overtime wages.

Grand Bahama controllers are now due to receive overtime wages on a retroactive basis, less time previously taken off instead of pay.