Threat to disrupt air traffic for CHOGM

Air traffic control personnel plan to report sick this week as international leaders begin arriving for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain.

The sick-out is intended to raise awareness of concerns they have been expressing to their employer, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

But both the CAA and the Minister of National Security have said they are not aware of any such plan.

CAA Chairman Ramesh Lutchmedial said Sunday the airport will be open for CHOGM.

Lutchmedial told Newsday air traffic control is classified as an essential service under the law, and controllers are banned from taking industrial action.

He also told the paper that an injunction "is in place to stop any employee of the Civil Aviation Authority taking industrial action." He noted that it is a long standing move that has been in place for the past two years.

He called reports of a sickout as “totally unfounded” and said the CAA and the Public Service Association (PSA) are meeting to try to resolve relevant labour matters.

He assured the paper that if there is any kind of job action it will not disrupt air traffic because the CAA has contingencies in place.

"In the event of such an unfortunate thing...We have put things in place to ensure CHOGM will not be disrupted,” he said.

The industrial action is tentatively scheduled for November 25 and 26 and again on November 28 and 29.

One of the major problems the aviation workers face is the alleged refusal by the authority to pay outstanding salaries dating back to 2004 despite an Industrial court order to pay the money.

The Newsday newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying the workers are fed up. "We find there are major management indiscretions which are affecting staff negatively," the paper quoted the source as saying.

One other problem, the source told the paper, is poor employee relations highlighted by the dismissal last year of one employee who had been absent from work due to illness.

The source said the authority's decision was harsh and said management's insensitivity in not considering the man's depressed condition led to the employee's suicide.

Workers told the paper they are not happy with having to disrupt the international conference but they have no other choice, since the authority and the works minister have continued to ignore their concerns and their pleas for correcting problems.