Aleong: BWIA staff stalling T'dad Guardian 10.30.02 The pilots union and union representing BWIA's ground staff and flight attendents are stalling on making concessions for tomorrow's deadline to avoid the airline being taken over by its creditors, says president and CEO of BWIA, Conrad Aleong. "The pilots are telling us that they had two meetings and they voted; and they are saying that you're going to get a pay cut but the pilot union leader isn't telling us that," Aleong told the Guardian at a tourism conference Tuesday in Grand Bahama. Aleong said Talpa is probably waiting till Thursday to tell BWIA what they are giving, if anything: "Probably the pilots will give something," he said. Aleong however was not too sure if the Aviation and Communication Workers Union would yield. "Some of the members the ground staff and flight attendents have been telling the Union that they ought to agree but the Union has been saying no, so we have to wait on that one," said Aleong. On whether October 31 is going to be a real day of reckoning for the airline that is owing undisclosed large sums of moneies to its creditors, Aleong told the Guardian the deadline was given because BWIA "owes a lot of money and you cannot get bankers and aircraft owners to be patient forever." He said the management and employees have however to ask themselves the serious question "whether or not we're going to save the money and give them the confidence that they will be repaid; or are we going to just bundle along as the market hits us or we hit it." The BWIA President said October 31 was given because "the Board felt that if it did not make a serious deadline and something happens, like the airline was put into receivership, then everyone will have a legal liability." He said the Board also had to warn its creditors and leave an option open for employees to contribute to the survival of BWIA. "But BWIA will not close down on October 31, or November whatever," said Aleong. Aleong does not have a problem with the position of Prime Minister Patrick Manning that the 49 per cent shareholder will not contribute to BWIA until and unless workers and the management first demonstrate their own committment to BWIA's survival. "If the government just gives money to a company that it's not in control of, then it will have to give monies to all kinds of company when they go bankrupt. So, from a public policy I think it's the right posture," said Aleong. He says it will be up to the management of the airline to find creative ways for the government to help when the time is right. 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 *********************************************************