GCAA scrambles to appease disgruntled Air Traffic Controllers

Jan 17, 2024 News

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..admits their salaries below other regional counterparts  

Kaieteur News – Even as the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) scrambles to appease disgruntled Air Traffic Services staff at the country’s two airports, the umbrella body said on Tuesday that while nine of the critical personnel resigned last year, the agency is making efforts to address the concerns of current employees.

At the same time, current Air Traffic Services staff at Timehri and Ogle expressed disgust on Tuesday after the GCAA published their salaries in a lengthy press release. “The organisation was very disrespectful and misrepresented the situation to the public,” the controllers said on Tuesday.

On Sunday, this publication reported that 20 Air Traffic Services staff resigned from the aviation body over the past 12 months, many of them left in pursuit of greener pastures overseas.

The GCAA said on Tuesday that seven Air Traffic Controllers and two officers within the Aeronautical Information Services/Aeronautical Information Management (AIS/AIM) officers resigned last year. The aviation body said resignations are not unique to its operations.

“With the rapid transformation of Guyana, this challenge of staff resignation is not unique to the GCAA but has been an aviation industry experience with staff leaving the industry to pursue other careers especially in oil and gas sector, where the salaries are perceivably higher,” the agency said.

Last weekend, this publication reported that the resignations are taking a toll on the operations of the Air Traffic facilities and staff complained that their ability to undertake their duties are “stretched” which has led to many working overtime.

On Tuesday, the aviation body noted that “working overtime is voluntary and staff would occasionally request to be excused for specified periods which would always be accommodated.”

There is also strict monitoring of Air Traffic Controllers duty and rest period to ensure compliance with regulations and proper fatigue risk management, the GCAA said.

In November 2023, the Director of Air Navigation Services (ANS), the department under which the appeased employees fall, submitted a proposal to adjust the salary scale for all staff and this proposal is currently under review by the Management of GCAA.

According to the entity, of the nine resignations last year, only three former employees stated at their exit interviews that “better opportunities” was their reason for leaving while the other six stated non-financial reasons.

The GCAA said it conducts annual staff appraisals and in tandem with the review of a salary proposal for Air Traffic staff, it is working to develop a policy to address increments along the salary scale based on appraisals.

As regards the concerns by the affected staff that their pleas are ignored by management of the body, the GCAA said its management held several engagements with the staff in question to “address their concerns and took corrective action where necessary.”

In addition, it noted that Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill visited the Control Tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on several occasions and had meetings with Air Traffic Controllers at his office to listen and address their concerns and related matters.

As regards training, the GCAA said its staff at the airport and those at its headquarters on High Street are offered training opportunities virtually and in person.

The aviation body said training is facilitated by the Civil Aviation Training school, with some specialized trainings offered overseas either virtual or in person.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, many training programmes are now being offered virtually. Within the last three (3) years, many of the staff and inspectors of the GCAA participated in several virtual trainings. Virtual training is a more cost-effective way of training staff as it eliminates travel and accommodation costs,” the GCAA said.

On the subject of promotion of Air Traffic staff to fill vacant positions at the body’s headquarters, the GCAA said a decision to bar them from applying for the senior roles, was rescinded “after Air Traffic Controllers voiced their concern since mid-2023 and now any duly qualified staff within the Authority can apply for any vacancy within the GCAA.”

Counting staff

Following the publication the plight faced by the Air Traffic Services staff on Sunday, Kaieteur News understands that the GCAA has been holding a flurry of meetings to address the concerns of its staff manning the Air Traffic facilities.

Reports are that the agency dispatched staff to the CJIA and were “counting” how many Air Traffic Services staff members left the job within the past year. “What they need to do is count how many controllers left in 2022 and 2023 and you will get a feel of the bleak future there and what is taking place,” a former employee said.

It was noted too that in August 2023, a Director of the GCAA was sent from its High Street headquarters to Timehri, to meet with staff regarding the high rate of resignations. “He came to find out why staff leaving, and he was suppose to give the staff a feedback in November 2023, to date neither he nor the GCAA has said anything ,” an affected employee  noted.

It was noted too by the staff that a move by the GCAA to publish their salaries in a press release on Tuesday was aimed at “gas lighting” the situation. “This is the same strategy they used previously to gaslight and say to us we getting a big money. But that’s a smokescreen,” an employee said as reference was made to a 2008 strike by the air traffic controllers.

No overnight training

The affected employees noted that while the GCAA may scoff at the fact that the critical employees are leaving the job,  the aviation body is not considering the length of time it takes for an Air Traffic personnel to be trained and for him/her to be complete on-the-job training  to man the facilities at the Control Tower.

“Nine is a lot, considering the time it takes to train people, because it takes a year to train persons to the function at the basic level of the job, and then they have to be trained to work in the facilities,” a former employee said.

Last night, the Guyana Association of Air Traffic Control Officers, a body which represents the interests of the aviation personnel, were locked in a meeting on issues affecting current staff. High on the agenda was a proposal for salary increase and incentives. Industrial action was also discussed.

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• Air Traffic Controllers, Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works, salaries, scrambles

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