BWIA told: Shape up or fly out - Monday 28, October-2002 by Orion Ganase Trinidad Express The Government of Trinidad and Tobago last week read the riot act to BWIA: either it shapes up or flies out. The first warning came from Trade Minister Ken Valley, who said the government would provide financial assistance to the cash-strapped airline only under certain conditions, insisting that the Government could no longer be BWIA's "port of first call". Speaking at a breakfast seminar at Hilton Trinidad, Valley said: "While the government is not averse to assisting, we will and cannot afford to, until we feel comfortable that the management and workers of that airline realise the reality, and contribute to the continuation of that airline." Using the example of Barbados, which does not have a national carrier, Valley said should BWIA go into receivership Trinidad and Tobago would survive. "BWIA used to cost the government some hundred million per annum. We got out of that situation. Is the population of Trinidad and Tobago prepared to get back in that situation?" he asked. "I do not want to have to divest BWIA again," Valley said. Later, at a post-Cabinet news briefing at Whitehall, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said government wanted to be the lender of last resort to BWIA, and would only intervene after the stakeholders showed they were willing to make sacrifices to save the airline. "Government is not averse to assisting BWIA, but we need clear signals from management, clear and unambiguous," was how Valley put it at the AmCham seminar. "We [the Government] need BWIA, but I don't need BWIA at all costs. I need an airline. Preferably BWIA," Valley said, adding that it was ultimately up to management to set the tone for the continued viability of the airline. BWIA's director of corporate communications, Clint Williams, told reporters after the seminar that he believed the airline would be able to satisfy Valley's criteria. "I must say it sounds encouraging. The reality, which we said all along, is the employees can save an airline," he said, and called on workers to get rid of the "State enterprise mentality". Williams said in order for the airline to survive it needed roughly US$13 million in financing. "We are a private company, we're on our own. We will get support but we have to earn that right for the support by showing that we are a viable operation." He noted that BWIA has already received assistance from Barbados, where it is responsible for roughly 29 per cent of the traffic. Williams said the Barbados Government had helped the airline promote the Manchester route and recently waived the airline's landing fees. Asked to respond to Valley's comment that should BWIA go into receivership "so be it", Williams said: "That's the reality of the world. It simply does not make sense to put money into something that appears to be haemorrhaging." BWIA management met with staff late last week. Williams said the airline told workers that it had cut its non-labour costs by US$700 000 per month as planned and it was now up to workers to help BWIA reduce monthly concession payments by US$300 000. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (I95.5FM) http://www.i955fm.com (Radio Station I95.5FM) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************