- Bent on having Jamaican representation.
A meeting is scheduled for 10:00 am at the Labour ministry’s head office and came as a result of a 72-hour notice of industrial action being served on CAL and Labour Minister Derrick Kellier on Tuesday, by attorneys of the Jamaica Airlines Pilots Association.
The notice was served after JALPA tried, for close to three years, to secure bargaining rights for the pilots from the airline, in which the Trinidad and Tobago Government holds a majority stake. The Jamaican Government holds a 16 per cent share of the carrier, which had taken over the operations of Air Jamaica.
Since December 12, 2011 the pilots have been in desultory talks with CAL, which remains insistent that all its pilots be represented by the Trinidad and Tobago Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA).
However, the Jamaican pilots are maintaining that they cannot be represented by a union outside of Jamaica. In this request they are resolute, citing the association’s receipt of expert legal advice.
In addition, they have pointed to the fact that the TTALPA has twice indicated that they have “absolutely no objection” to JALPA being voluntarily recognized as the bargaining agent for the pilots employed at CAL’s Jamaica base.
Over the three years, the pilots have tried, without success, to have the Jamaican authorities intervene in the matter, but should this meeting prove to be one where no resolution is had, then strike actions by the pilots are inevitable.
Extracted and modified from Caribbean 360
