Caribbean Airlines Pilots stage silent protest over delayed wage settlement

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) pilots held a silent protest at Piarco International Airport, on October 2nd, 2024, demanding for the Government to step in to settle all wage disputes which they claim have been outstanding since 2018.

The protest, led by the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA), came on the day when negotiations over a four percent wage rise took a stalemate, even though the union had presented an agreement consistent with wage guidelines set out by the Government.

According to TTALPA President Jason Wickham, the union has agreed to the four percent increase but, as yet, there is no official response from Finance Minister Colm Imbert or the Chief Personnel Officer.

Wickham underlined the frustration of the pilots with the delay as saying, “We have been negotiating in good faith for nine years, but the silence from the Government is concerning, especially as our international counterparts enjoy significantly better pay adjustments.”

From early morning, pilots conducted a peaceful protest by walking through the airport’s main departure hall with placards. They later held a rally outside the airport entrance, appealing to the authorities to act fast in their decision to ratify the proposed increase.

Wickham, however, defended that no flights were affected since all participating pilots were on leave. “We ensured the protest did not inconvenience travellers,” he said, “as our intention is to call attention to our unresolved issues without causing public inconvenience.”

This protest is just one of the chapters in an already continued wage dispute. Negotiations have been ongoing since 2015 between TTALPA and CAL management over collective agreements that was already made bitter with the economic burden brought by COVID-19.

During the period, pilots, like other airline staff, had pay cutbacks since border closure would force them to keep hold of their jobs. Since annual increases have been given to CAL pilots for up to three per cent throughout the years, Wickham noted that this is not the solution to the salient problem, which is a salary increase being long in coming.

A belated government response makes yet another wrinkle in the negotiations. As recently in July, TTALPA put across a proposal it wanted to settle with a four percent increase. Many follow-up attempts by CAL to negotiate over that have received no responses.

The union last year also rejected an offer of seven-and-a-half percent paid out over a phased period, unhappy with the imposition of an hourly pay system proposed by management.

The airline was prompt to respond to the protest by releasing a statement that promised to continue all flights and activities as usual. All the pilots have received their wage for the period up to 2022, but the demonstration was still unexpected and disappointing, claimed the airline.

Not an easy solution in the offing, and yet TTALPA has called upon the Government to intervene directly so that this issue does not end up in more chaos and leads to a resolution of the grievances raised by the pilots.