Govt: More staff reduction needed at BWIA

There may be a further reduction in staff at national carrier BWIA if the airline intends to secure State financial assistance. Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet press conference, Trade Minister, Ken Valley, who is also responsible for BWIA,  announced that cabinet had agreed that Government would put no more money into BWIA unless there was a reduction in staff within one week. Prime Minister, Patrick Manning later called for a 20 percent reduction in production costs. He suggested that the Board of Directors and the airline’s Unions hold discussions to decide how this should be done. President of the Allied Communication Aviation Workers Union (ACAWU), Christopher Abraham, expressed alarm and disappointment at this announcement, saying that he did not understand why the Government would make such a decision.

Revealing that staff at the airline presently stood at 18,000 after the last reduction, he expressed his belief that the airline was severely short-staffed. “When the Inter-Ministerial team met with the Union on Holy Thursday,” he said in a telephone interview, “we were told that the team would hold further discussions with the Union. “However, since then it has failed to meet with us, despite our pleadings. Meetings have been held only with the airline.” “The fact that they could say this, shows that although the private sector has blackmailed them, they are still putting their confidence in it,” he further maintained. When asked for alternatives to this reduction in staff, Abraham replied that their alternatives would be revealed through discussions with the appropriate authorities. Asked about Conrad Along’s resignation he expressed his belief that this would prove beneficial to the company. However, he questioned whether his resignation was from CA International, or only from BWIA. Corporate Communications Manager at BWIA, Clint Williams, had very little to say on Government’s decision. He noted that the Board of Directors would continue to work with the Inter-Ministerial Committee in order to meet the contingencies requested by Government in order to qualify for the financial assistance needed at this time to keep the airline alive.