ACAWU:

"Taken from our B U S I N E S S section."

THE AVIATION Communication and Allied Workers (ACAWU) yesterday slammed the management of BWIA for attempting to blame workers for the airline’s current woes and said the workers remain 100 percent committed to ensuring the airline’s survival.

In a statement on Wednesday, BWIA said no agreement for a new collective agreement was reached between the airline and its unions despite months of negotiations. BWIA said under these circumstances, company chairman Arthur Lok Jack had asked CEO Peter Davies to present the board with a report containing his analysis and professional recommendations for BWIA’s future viability.

BWIA said the inability to reach agreement with the unions meant the airline continues to suffer significant losses and the business recovery plan it submitted in April to the Government that was specifically designed to reduce those losses, “is now in jeopardy.” The airline further stated that recent industrial action taken by some BWIA employees had aggravated the loss position of the airline and damaged its reputation.

However, ACAWU president Curtis John said he was amazed by BWIA officials’ statements and if that was the way the company felt, all of the airline’s managers should be dismissed and the union should take over management of BWIA.

He categorically rejected the assertion by BWIA of workers taking industrial action and said this never happened.

John said the reason why negotiations have made little headway over the last few months is because BWIA has been very vague on the way forward for the airline, especially regarding the draft business plan.

He said since April, when a copy of that plan was received by Public Administration and Information Minister Dr Lenny Saith, the union has been consistently refused a copy of that plan by BWIA and ACAWU could not negotiate properly when they did not have all the facts.

He said notwithstanding BWIA’s statement on Wednesday, the union remains willing to meet with the airline’s management to continue discussions on the way forward. John added that he would never close the door on negotiations with BWIA since the workers had the most to lose if the airline was shut down.