(Trinidad Guardian) Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is on board with Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s approved four per cent wage increase offer to pilots, but the union representing them isn’t ready to fly with all of the proposal just yet.
In a release yesterday, CAL said it welcomed Imbert’s announcement that he’s authorised the offer to the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots’ Association (TTALPA) to settle ongoing salary negotiations.
This, after pilots protested outside his office on Wednesday.
Dressed in their uniforms, several pilots showed their frustration with the ongoing negotiation process during the protest action. Prior to this, pilots also held other silent demonstrations at the Piarco International Airport this month.
Hours after the protest action, the Ministry of Finance announced that the wage offer includes a four per cent salary increase for the period September 2015 to August 2020 and a further four per cent offer for the period September 2020 to August 2023.
The union had initially rejected CAL’s 7.5 per cent wage increase offer.
In the release yesterday, CAL said it remains optimistic that a satisfactory conclusion can now be reached in the dispute.
However, the union said yesterday that it is only in agreement with a four per cent increase for the first collective bargaining period ending August 2020 and not the second period.
Speaking with Guardian Media via telephone, Timothy Bailey, a consultant for TTALPA, said the offer for the second period is yet to be discussed by the union.
Bailey said, “As you all know, that came out yesterday (Wednesday) evening. Today (Thursday) is Divali, so there wasn’t any meeting today, and they will have to meet before that decision is made… I want to be clear we have no proposals before us from Caribbean Airlines for any settlement for the second period. “What we have is the minister saying he is willing to settle the period, he’s approving four per cent. I am not aware that there are any negotiations going on at this time for the second period, so consideration has to be given to what has been approved and that is a discussion that has to be had between the union, its executive and its membership.”
These sentiments were also echoed by TTALPA officials, who told Guardian Media on Wednesday that it had noted the four per cent offer for the other bargaining period and will consult with its members before adopting a position on the offer.
The pilots are currently operating on an expired nine-year collective agreement and salary.