The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

and YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporters

The Bahamian tourism industry was yesterday hopeful that widespread, long-lasting damage from the Airport Authority strike may have been avoided even though most of the agency’s employees still failed to show for work.

Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, told Tribune Business that if “normal business” resumes today at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) then the sector will start to believe that the worst-case scenario has been averted in terms of reputational fall-out for the country’s standing as a prime travel destination.

However, Peter Rutherford, the Airport Authority’s acting general manager, confirmed the majority of workers at both LPIA and in the Family Islands seemingly defied a Supreme Court ruling that ordered them to return to work and imposed an injunction on all forms of industrial action on the basis it was illegal.

“Just 60 percent of the employees on the Family Islands returned to work, and in Nassau some 80 percent didn’t show up for work yesterday. The contingency is holding up and is doing a lot better than it was on Monday,” he added of arrangements that have seen police and Defence Force officers replace Airport Authority personnel on tasks such as body and baggage screening.

“Most employees have not returned. They remain out despite the injunction. However the contingencies in place are sufficient and handling the volumes.” Mr Sands, meanwhile, said social media monitoring by the BHTA and its members “indicates there wasn’t much chatter” over the past two days from passengers complaining about missed flights and delays at LPIA.

“Based on the information we have received we are quite satisfied with the flow,” the BHTA president told this newspaper of LPIA passenger movements. “There are no lines. It appeared to be a normal operation. We’ll monitor the situation again tomorrow [today].”

Asked how confident he and the industry were that The Bahamas’ has largely managed to escape any strike damage to its tourism business and reputation, Mr Sands replied: “Let’s see what happens tomorrow [today]. We hope that is the case, but let’s see. If there is a normal regularity of business today and tomorrow, the answer to that question will be yes.

“I think the parties are working towards some common ground and, if we have a sense of normality returning to the airport, that will augur well for our industry as we continue to rebound. Airports are the first and last impressions for our tourists, our first and last gateways to impressions of the destination, so the experience is extremely important to what they receive.

Kimsley Ferguson, the Bahamas Public Services Union’s (BPSU) president, and whose Airport Authority members engaged in industrial action, declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business last night. This newspaper understands that progress has been made in resolving the dispute via negotiations with the Government and Airport Authority, with the union now seeking to pin the latter down to a date when its members will be paid what is purportedly due to them.

Keith Bell, minister for labour and immigration, speaking ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting said several Airport Authority workers returned for the 4.30am shift and LPIA was operating under the short-staffed conditions.

He hinted that there may be penalties for those who stayed away in breach of the Supreme Court Order, which places them in contempt of court. Mr Bell said Cabinet will have to look at each individual case to ensure persons who were absent had a legitimate reason for doing so.

“We don’t want to necessarily pass judgment on anyone who may very well have a legitimate reason for not necessarily coming to work,” he said. Justice Denise Lewis-Johnson, late on Monday night, ordered that the airport workers return to work, and Mr Bell said: “I would think that there is full compliance. There has to be full compliance with the court order,and I don’t think the union would want to be held in contempt of that Order.”

LPIA was not the only airport that was impacted, but Mr Bell said he had not received an official update on the Family Islands. Joel Friese, manager of the fixed base operation (FBO) in Long Island, told Tribune Business that security personnel were at work Monday and “one of them was at work yesterday [Monday]morning.”

He added: “There are no long lines and there’s no security screening for flights in Long Island. People just get on the plane.”

Steven Hamilton, assistant general manager for South Bimini Airport, said Airport Authority workers returned yesterday and there were no disruptions or problems. He added: “We were good with staff on Monday too.”

Mr Bell said: “I’m getting information piecemeal, but from all indications there is a high degree of normalcy on the Family Islands as well.”

Clint Watson, press secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, said Philip Davis QC met with Mr Ferguson yesterday morning to negotiate an “amicable” resolution and that staff members have committed to returning to work. “We’ve heard that there’s been no disruption to the airport yesterday morning and so that there’s good news for us,” he said.