Air traffic controllers threaten strike action over emoluments

Jan 11, 2009 News

The raging dispute between air traffic controllers and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, over monies owed to the former by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has escalated and the air traffic controllers have alerted their union, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), of possible industrial action as a means of resolution.
The issue dates back to early last year when the Minister of Works and Communication, Robeson Benn, intervened in a dispute between the two factions over salary matters.
The staff members had accused the GCAA of unfairly deducting various sums from their pay packets. The GCAA had said that funds were not immediately available, and the matter would have been resolved as soon as the administration had attended to the GCAA bank balances.
The air traffic controllers said that they waited for years before the Director of Finance and Administration finally announced that the matter was receiving attention. However, after scrutinizing the names of the persons who were short-listed to receive monies, the air traffic controllers determined that only a few choice persons comprised the list, and accused the GCAA of nepotism.
The air traffic controllers next sought the intervention of Minister Benn, who ruled that instead of paying some members of staff monies dating back to several years, he would have paid a non-prejudicial, one-off bonus.
Since this sum would have represented a decrease in their emoluments, the Guyana Association of Air Traffic Control Officers (GAATCO) rejected the offer and threatened industrial action.
A few of the workers immediately reported sick. This forced the hand of the Government, which decided to pay the air traffic controllers.
The air traffic workers are contending that, after they agreed to resume duties, Minister Benn reneged on his commitment and decided that there would be no increase in salaries. There were reports that the GAATCO had signed to this effect, but officials of this entity debunked such rumours, saying that they had never seen, much less agreed to, the arrangement.
They said that they are only now hearing of the purported agreement, but are adamant that they are entitled to $4000 plus the initial five percent allocated for those earning less than $50,000 per month.

The workers said that they had proposed several avenues to resolve the dispute, but to no avail. They said that they had written to President Jagdeo as well as spoken with Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, after which they were assured that the matter was receiving attention.
However, the workers became doubtful after they read of the payout to the ranks of the Joint Services. They then presumed that they were being given a royal run-around and attempted to speak with Dr Luncheon.
They said that several meetings were planned, but were cancelled at the last moment.
The workers said that they are now left with no alternative but to seek redress through industrial action.

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Air traffic controllers threaten strike action over emoluments

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