BWIA WORKERS REJECT PAY CUT

Although it has successfully appointed a replacement for former President and CEO, Conrad Aleong, troubles are not yet over for national carrier BWIA after a decision by employees to reject the pay cut proposed by the Board as part of its costcutting exercise. BWIA employees met with their unions on Thursday afternoon at the headquarters of the Allied Communication and Aviation Workers Trade Union (ACAWU) in Tacarigua to negotiate the terms of  Government’s plan to reduce labour costs at the airline. A poll taken at the end of the meeting revealed that the majority of BWIA employees were not interested in a pay cut.

The consensus is that workers are not in a position to afford a pay cut at this time.  Speaking to Newsday yesterday, President of the Communication Transport and General Workers Trade Union (CATU), Jagdeo Jagroop, revealed that the meeting concentrated on discussion among workers about the present situation.  “Also,” he said, “in the 1980s there was a wage freeze from which we have not yet recovered. We just do not have the disposable income to accept a cut. “Although we are still angry at the company and the government, we have offered them the freedom to continue negotiations,” he added. Jagroop also revealed that the Unions had met with the Board of Directors on Tuesday morning after which the Board had requested a response by that afternoon. The Union was expected to submit its response to the Board yesterday afternoon in time for the Board to meet the Government’s June 16 deadline.