00:00It's a creative way of demanding their back pay and it's on full display for all to see
00:06entering or exiting the Piaco International Airport.
00:09It's a creative way to express the displeasure. The pilots are frustrated. As you know, the
00:15pilots are classified as essential workers and they cannot take certain type of actions
00:22that ordinary workers may be able to take. They cannot withhold their labour, etc.
00:27The bold move comes as pilots are still awaiting the balance of their back pay for the period
00:322015 to 2020, despite negotiations being settled in October of 2024.
00:39They have given the majority of the pilots partial payment and cannot say when they are
00:47going to give them payment. So we are wondering, is it an issue that the Ministry of Finance
00:54has not released the funding? What is the issue? They have not given the pilot body
01:01or the union or the representatives or the workers a proper explanation to this.
01:07Meantime, negotiations for 2020 to 2023 have stalled, despite the association having agreed
01:14to the 4% increase put forward by government.
01:17The company since then has sacked down on that proposal and done nothing. We broke down
01:23the negotiations, meaning that the company was not doing anything and there is a provision
01:28under the Industrial Relations Act to break down the negotiation and refer it to the Minister
01:33of Labour for his intervention, which has been done. But to date, we have not been given
01:39with dates of consideration. And we are saying, under the circumstances, because it's an essential
01:45industry, the minister is supposed to be dealing promptly and urgently with the system.
01:50The association is questioning where Carl has sourced funds to throw its Welcome Home
01:54to Culture in the Park event, which will feature a number of top soca artistes at Mandela Park
02:00this Saturday, free of charge to the public. Contacted for comment, Carl said negotiations
02:07between Caribbean Airlines and the union are ongoing and the company continues to operate
02:13in good faith. Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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