It was jaw-dropping for the public to see off-duty uniformed Caribbean Airlines (CAL) pilots taking part in a peaceful placard protest at the check-in areas of Piarco International Airport on the morning of October 3, over several matters, including salary negotiations.
This impasse has been ongoing for quite some time and is multidimensional, with trust and communication at the forefront.
The industrial-relations climate between CAL and the TT Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA) – the union that represents pilots in TT – is worrisome and should not be allowed to continue. It is counterproductive to the achievement of CAL’s business objectives.
Good industrial relations practices require the employer and union to meet and treat each other in good faith, devoid of hidden agendas.
CAL and TTALPA are two professional organisations that should be working together to achieve the economic viability of the airline.
The airline industry is global, dynamic, highly capital intensive, hyper-competitive and most importantly, highly safety-sensitive.
Pilots are highly trained and qualified professionals who are responsible for safely operating an aircraft from a departure airport to a destination airport.
The flames of discord were fuelled when pilots were disingenuously likened to glorified bus drivers.
During an inflight emergency, pilots’ skills, training, cognition and experience are critical in saving lives, as seen in numerous aircraft accidents, such as those involving United Airlines Mc Donald Douglas DC 10-10 on July 19, 1989 and the Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 on January 2, 2024.
TTALPA is an autonomous body registered under the Trade Union Act and in accordance with the Industrial Relations Act (IRA). It is certified as the recognised majority union (RMU) for the categories of CAL pilots defined in the bargaining unit.
Among the litany of woes listed on the placards, one read: "Nine years with an expired contract."
The burning question is why this matter, along with the others, was not referred to the Minister of Labour as a trade dispute for resolution, in accordance with the IRA?
TTALPA must recognise that CAL’s management prerogatives are not subject to the collective bargaining process. Among those are the rights to determine its business objectives and practices, to hire, the aircraft types to use, the routes to operate and the frequencies.
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CAL pilots are not accountable to TTALPA for the performance of their duties. Pilots are fully subordinate to the authority of CAL’s management, which has a statutory responsibility for ensuring pilots strictly comply with the operating procedures approved by the TTCAA and the regulatory authorities of foreign jurisdictions whose sovereign territory CAL aircraft may operate over or into.
In the event of an untoward occurrence, the relationship between the pilots and CAL’s management will come under very intense scrutiny by a court of inquiry.
It’s noteworthy that C
