BWIA confirms Govt pull-out

At the post-PNM’s General Council news conference at Balisier House on Sunday, party vice-chairman John Donaldson told journalists that Government had decided to remove itself from full participation in the ownership of the airline and run it as a private organisation.

Contacted yesterday, BWIA officials told Newsday that they only knew about Government’s intended pull-out from reports in the media. The officials added that they were “awaiting feedback” from Davies on the matter.

Davies issued that feedback late yesterday afternoon, indicating that he always understood that it was Government’s intention to privatise BWIA.

He said this was in line with his mandate to provide a safe, efficient and profitable carrier connecting the Caribbean to the rest of the world.

Although ACAWU president Curtis John is currently overseas and was unavailable for comment yesterday, other top ACAWU officials expressed surprise at Donaldson’s announcement. Union general secretary Sieunarine Balroop said neither the Government nor BWIA had spoken with ACAWU about privatising the airline.

“Until they talk with us, the workers can’t know what is happening to them,” Balroop stated. He said ACAWU is currently locked in negotiations with BWIA’s management for a new collective agreement and had sent a restructuring proposal to the company three weeks ago.

Balroop added that ACAWU was confused about why Govern-ment was considering privatising BWIA again.

“They tried it already in 1995 and it didn’t work. Less than a year after it was privatised, Government had to take back the airline,” he said.

ACAWU treasurer Jason Maule said the Cabinet-appointed task force established last year to determine solutions for BWIA’s viability had come up with three options. Those options included BWIA’s closure and maintaining an open sky policy in Trinidad and Tobago, closing BWIA and opening a new airline or restructuring the existing BWIA. Maule added that the union agreed to the third option.

Efforts yesterday to contact Public Administration and Information Minister Dr Lenny Saith to find out whether Government has already taken a decision to withdraw from BWIA were unsuccessful. Officials at the Communication Transport and General Workers Union were also unavailable for comment.

Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Rohan Roopnarine was uncertain whether any Government pull-out from BWIA would be permanent. Noting that BWIA was not immune from the challenges now facing the international aviation industry, Roopnarine said Government would have to weigh all of these factors before deciding whether or not to withdraw from BWIA. He said one down side to Government’s presence could be a lassiez-faire attitude in the company’s management practices and this would be eliminated in a private sector entity.

TT Manufacturers Association president Paul Quesnel said he was not sure what Government’s plans for BWIA were but believed that it could do better if it was run by private enterprise.

Stating that it was high time for BWIA’s much touted business plan to be implemented, Quesnel said the airline was a necessity both for TT and Caricom. Prime Minister Patrick Manning has said Government hopes to transform BWIA into a regional carrier in which regional governments and private sectors would be able to purchase equity.