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00:30The Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association has a message for Caribbean Airlines.
00:35At some point, management will have to take responsibility for any actions or inaction.
00:40The message comes amid announcements of additional flight routes from Caribbean Airlines effective this month, even as pilots are awaiting
00:48back pay from settled negotiations between 2015 and 2023.
00:53Renessa Cutting reports.
00:55As Caribbean Airlines prepares to increase flights to Tobago for Carnival, as well as introduce new regional and international routes,
01:04the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association says it is not in a position to see how seamless this service
01:12may be.
01:13We could never predict what happens tomorrow in terms of seamlessness. We leave that to God.
01:18But as it stands currently, the pilots have been doing what they're supposed to do and have been responsible about
01:24doing it.
01:24The association held a press conference today to highlight a number of issues affecting pilots.
01:30Chief among them, non-payment of over $20 million in settled negotiations spanning the period 2015 to 2023.
01:39Letters to the Align Minister, Eliza Kerr, and the Finance Minister have gone unanswered, but they're hopeful they will get
01:47their just due in Budget 2027.
01:50We believe that in the spirit of equity, all the conversations that have been going on about settlement of negotiations
01:59and benefit for other workers, which we think they are entitled to,
02:02seeing that the pilot body has been waiting for two years. We believe that it should be done in sequence
02:09of settlements, and we believe that our settlement was maybe, or we know that our settlement was maybe for these
02:17other colleagues, our colleagues.
02:19Back in 2020, pilots agreed to take up 57% pay cut for 10 months to avoid retrenchment and help
02:27cars save over $1 million monthly during COVID.
02:31However, the association says, Carl also applied the 57% decrease to pilots' back pay for the period. That matter
02:39is now before the court.
02:41So it's $1.18 million U.S. dollars, and that would have been per Citi, and that would have been
02:49over a 10-month period.
02:51But we want to stress, though, because I want to stress the point that that was done with the intention
02:56that people will retain their jobs.
02:59But unfortunately, people will retrench. Some of our most senior pilots, they call it retrenchment. We call it termination, because
03:08in a retrenchment, you actually send home the last person.
03:14They didn't do that in this instance, and that matter is before the court, so we don't want to talk
03:17too much about that.
03:19We have senior council dealing with that.
03:20Talpa says Carl also took over 6,000 vacation days from pilots during the COVID period.
03:27The association warns pilots are frustrated and burnt out, and many have been falling ill.
03:33We have pilots who are legitimately ill, and that is one of the reasons that we thought it was necessary
03:40to drive home the point that over 6,000 vacation days would have been taken from the pilot.
03:48But that's a lot. In the context of that, they understand that vacation is something for someone to rejuvenate themselves.
03:55After you work, especially a strenuous job, you go on vacation to rest and to rejuvenate.
04:02And against that background, we thought it was necessary that it be made public.
04:06It was only in August this year that the Industrial Court dismissed the legal action taken by Carl against the
04:13association
04:14for allegedly facilitating a sick-out protest by pilots in 2023.
04:20The association notes as essential workers, pilots are not allowed to take industrial action,
04:26but they're advising Carl to do the right thing.
04:29Well, the association and the pilot, but the intention is to attempt, as far as is reasonable possible, to go
04:37to work at all times.
04:39Once we are fit, we go to work.
04:42If we are not at work, and it's because we are unfit, it's legitimately so.
04:49Our track record is very sound.
04:51We will endeavor to do what we are supposed to do, but at some point in time, management must take
05:00responsibility for actions or inactions.
05:05Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
05:08Well, TV6 asked the finance minister whether accommodations have been made for Pilots' $20 million back pay settlement.
05:15However, Minister Tanko indicated that Budget Day is Monday, October 12th, and the full fiscal package will be presented at
05:23that time.
