(Trinidad Guardian) Caribbean Airlines Limited pilots, represented by the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots’ Association (TTALPA), delivered a letter to the Minister of Finance yesterday. They also held a silent demonstration outside the Eric Williams Financial Complex along Independence Square, Port-of-Spain.
Dressed in their full uniforms, the pilots gathered outside the financial complex and voiced their frustration over prolonged delays in salary negotiations, having worked under expired contracts for the past nine years.
They cited concerns about job security, lower wages compared to foreign pilots and the airline’s proposal of a 20 per cent salary cut. The pilots also criticised the Government for what they called its inadequate response to their proposals, which have further delayed negotiations.
During the protest, they delivered the letter to Imbert, under whose purview Caribbean Airlines falls.
TTALPA trustee Keith Dowdy said pilots, who also protested earlier this month at the Piarco International Airport, were willing to compromise.
“Our terms and conditions contract has been expired for nine years, and we received no response from our peaceful picket. We have clearly expressed what we want – 4 per cent increase, which we believe fits the national context. This would be a compromise on our part, allowing us to return to fully supporting the airline.”
He added, “To put it into context, our salaries are determined by benchmarking. If you purchase an aircraft, you need someone skilled enough to fly it safely. If Caribbean Airlines replaced all its pilots and hired foreign pilots, what would they pay them? What would their compensation be? That’s why you benchmark. “Currently, a senior flight attendant at United Airlines earns more than a captain at Caribbean Airlines. We are earning less than 50 per cent of what pilots flying the same aircraft into the same destinations—like JFK or Toronto—are making, despite operating under the same weather and conditions.”
The pilots’ association said they will continue their action for as long as it is constitutional, guided by industrial relations consultants and within legal bounds.
“We will pursue every possible course of action. Our backs are against the wall, and we cannot return to our membership with nothing to offer,” said Dowdy.
The protest by the pilots yesterday again did not impact flights coming in and out of the country’s two airports.
At the start of this month, pilots – armed with placards, walked through the Piarco International Airport and stood outside to protest the delayed negotiations.
TTALPA has been in the middle of collective agreement issues dating back to 2015, and with the pandemic, financial challenges worsened, leading to significant pay cuts for pilots to preserve their jobs.
As part of the negotiations, pilots sacrificed a portion of their salaries to help CAL maintain operations, but they continued to seek better terms regarding wages and working conditions.
In August 2023, CAL pilots called in sick, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and affecting dozens of flights.
However, TTALPA said it never instructed any industrial action. An injunction was later sought by CAL restraining pilots from calling in sick.
Yesterday, Dowdy said while TTALPA was trying to resolve the matter with meetings, it was uncertain if these would continue.
“We were in a meeting with Caribbean Airlines, and we were sent back to it. We have been faithfully attending these meetings in a very amicable atmosphere, and we have made every effort to accommodate their concerns. However, they are now saying that it is unreasonable to continue, as it’s clear they are not going to receive an answer from higher authorities,” Dowdy said.
