Pilots reject CAL’s new proposals

The State-owned, money-losing carrier is having problems with an acute shortage of pilots and to a lesser extent flight attendants. The seriousness of the pilot shortage is reflected in the fact that pilots on days off are being asked to operate flights to the extent that on any given roster many flights are “open” meaning no pilots have as yet been assigned and this occurs on both the jet and turbo prop fleets.

In an effort to correct the situation, a team from the airline spent several days in Jamaica last week on a mission to find additional pilots. But while this process is proceeding, the cockpit crews are trying hard to cope with the unusual situation. Meanwhile the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TALPA) has rejected the latest proposals put forward by the management of Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL). The company offered its new proposal at a joint meeting with representatives of the pilot body at the Ministry of Labour last week Tuesday during a continuation of conciliation talks aimed at bringing an end to the impasse.

On the table was a counter proposal by the company including cost items and salaries. Business Day has learned that the salaries offer was preposterous and rejected outright by the TALPA team, which included several members of the Executive Council including its advisor

The company was represented by Capt. Jagmohan Singh, vice president operations (who these days is switching between his Piarco office and a B-737 cockpit); Hyacinth Guy, vice president Human Resources (Ms Guy worked with the former BWIA in the human resources department). She joined CAL in the middle of 2014); Karen Fritz-Millette and special consultant Peter Hill, who also worked with BWIA as a vice president of Operations several years ago.

Business Day understands the TALPA representatives were not impressed with the proposal and were “very disappointed” with what was being offered and went so far as to say it represented a decrease in salaries. Meanwhile the airline continues to insist that it does not have any money for any significant hikes in salaries of staffers currently employed.

It is understood that both parties would continue to meet in conciliatory talks and if no agreement is reached which will allow TALPA to withdraw the matter from the Industrial Court, the matter is set for hearing on Monday April 27. Meanwhile April 17 is the date set for submission of evidence and arguments.

In another quarter, a situation which could grow into a full scale industrial issue is that of the salaries of flight attendants. Right now, it is understood there are unconfirmed discrepancies in the salaries of flight attendants and according to well-placed sources there is now talk about increasing the salaries of the Jamaican cabin crews, the reason being “the cost of living in Jamaica is higher than in Trinidad”.

Business Day understands that local flight attendants have taken issue with that plan, unless the same is done locally. If in fact the Jamaican flight attendants receive increase in salaries, while the local flight attendants remain at their present remuneration, it could cause some trauma in the local situation..

Meanwhile the new strategic plan has been approved by the board and has been sent to the Cabinet for the ‘green light’. Asked last month whether, CAL being a state-owned company, should at least let the public know a little bit about certain non-sensitive aspects of the Plan, Chief Executive Officer, Michael Di Lollo said, “No, a Strategic Plan contains proprietary information. In a highly competitive market, as I am certain you can appreciate, release of this information could have negative competitive consequences for CAL.”

While Business Day is not privy to any part of the new Plan (maybe after Cabinet has a look at it), it was learnt that a top member of the airline’s executive team has said that Boeing aircraft was not the type for CAL, which gives some credence to the talk that the company is in fact looking at Airbus aircraft. Chief Executive Officer, Michael Di Lollo, was himself an accomplished Airbus pilot.

And while there has not been any definitive talk about a fleet change. The five ATRs which now operate the Airbridge services and some other Caribbean flights were bought from the French airplane manufacturer. But even as that possibility exists, Business Day has also learnt that CAL has also made overtures to the Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, relative to its Q-400 turbo-prop plane to replace the ATRs.