What is Aleong hiding?.....Concerned workers want boss to sign memorandum=20 for US $13.75M aid By David Millette email: davidmillette@tntnews.net TnT Mirror News CONCERNED BWIA West Indies Airways workers are demanding immediate answers= =20 from their boss, Conrad Aleong, as to why he has been refusing to sign a=20 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of TnT that will=20 allow the so-called cash strapped airline to access US $13.75 million in=20 financial assistance. The workers told TnT Mirror they refuse to believe=20 that Aleong has not signed the MOU out of fear that it will allow for the=20 conducting of a forensic audit into the entire operations of BWIA. =93As=20 President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)of BWIA, we don=92t think that=20 Aleong should have anything to hide,=94 said a spokesman for the workers.=20 =93After all, we always believed him when he boasted that he is an honest=20 man, and all his operations are above board.=94 Last October, Aleong= publicly=20 announced that unless BWIA gets an immediate injection of funds, the=20 airline would be forced to close down. He also expressed concern that creditors would soon be coming after the=20 airline if it didn=92t get funds to service its debts. It was in this context that Aleong requested concessions to the tune of=20 some US $240,000 a month from the trade unions representing BWIA=20 workers. BWIA said it must save some US $1.4 million a month, including=20 the US $240,000 in concessions from the employees. Government later set up= =20 a committee comprising Ken Gordon, Trevor Farrell and Jerry Hospedales to=20 look into the operations of BWIA, and to make recommendations to Cabinet.=20 But Aleong=92s refusal to sign the MOU has, so far, prevented the committee= =20 from meeting to begin its probe into BIWA. According to the MOU that was=20 presented to Aleong by Minister of Trade and Industry, Ken Valley: =93BWIA= =20 has approached government for financial assistance, in the amount of US=20 $13.75 million, to meet the airline=92s short to medium term commitments to= =20 ensure its survival and fund the transition to viability. =93The airline has requested an immediate cash injection of US $2 million,= =20 with the balance of US $11.75 million, to be paid by June, 2003.=20 =93Government, in recognition of BWIA=92s importance to the national and=20 regional economies, its objectives for regional carrier integration, and=20 government=92s own plans for making TnT the gateway to Central and South=20 America, is receptive to the airline=92s request.=94 But Valley also told=20 Aleong: =93Government is prepared to provide financial assistance, subject= to=20 the following terms and conditions: =93Participation by BWIA in a study to= be=20 conducted by external consultants within a period of six months, to=20 determine further economies that can be derived from its operations, and an= =20 appropriate structure for the airline in the context of regional air=20 carrier integration. =93Provision of full disclosure to the consultants on= =20 all aspects of its operations=85.=94 Valley said his government was also prepared to do better than the airline= =20 had requested and release US $10 million by November 28, 2002 to BWIA. A=20 spokesman for the workers told TnT Mirror: =93We feel that it is the=20 condition about =91full disclosure of all aspects of BWIA operations to the= =20 consultants=92, that has Aleong worried. =93This will mean that the team=20 appointed by the government will be able to inquire into areas like the=20 setting up of the Tobago Express, which remains a sore point with BWIA=20 workers, and about which a lot of questions remain unanswered. =93For=20 instance, we may finally be able to learn who really owns Tobago Express,=20 and whether there are any conflicts of interest. =93Aleong should not be=20 worried, because he has already made it quite clear that he has no shares=20 in Tobago Express. =93When the team looks at the accounts of BWIA, we feel= =20 certain that its members would recommend a forensic audit to unravel the=20 reality of the so called profits BWIA declared between 1998 to 2000, and=20 other questionable expenses. =93We also feel certain that a forensic audit will be recommended by the= team=20 to look into certain contracts ... like the management contract BWIA has=20 with a certain firm, among others. =93If the team does its work properly, a= =20 lot of questionable developments which have baffled us over the years,=20 could be revealed and properly explained. =93Aleong=92s salary, which has=20 remained a big secret, and is even unknown to the majority of Board=20 members, may also be found out.=94 The president of the Aviation Commercial= =20 and Allied Workers Union (ACAWU), Christopher Abraham, told TnT Mirror:=20 =93This strange behaviour by Aleong, meaning his refusal to sign the MOU,= has=20 me a bit baffled. =93In fact, Aleong must explain how come in October, BWIA,= =20 by his own admission, was on the verge of shutting down because it was cash= =20 strapped, yet he is refusing to sign the MOU which will give him much=20 needed cash. =93How come BWIA was cash strapped in October, but it has money to purchase= a=20 new aircraft in December? =93Aleong must tell us it is not true that his=20 refusal to sign the MOU has something to do with a possible forensic audit= =20 on BWIA.=94 Abraham also contends that Aleong is using the unions as his excuse for not= =20 signing the MOU. =93He has been saying he can=92t sign the MOU because the= =20 unions have not signed an agreement to allow for reduced payments for=20 overtime,=94 said Abraham. =93He wants ACAWU, and the other unions= representing=20 BWIA workers, to accept time and a half, instead of double time pay for=20 working on public holidays. =93However, if we do that, the unions will be in= =20 breach of the Minimum Wages Act which stipulates that you must be paid=20 double time for working on public holidays. =93In other words, Aleong wants= =20 us to break the law ... which he knows we won=92t do. =93He sent the= agreement=20 for us to sign, knowing fully that no self respecting union will sign it.=20 =93The point is that once we don=92t sign the overtime agreement, then= Aleong=20 will have an excuse not to sign the MOU. =93That is a deliberate ploy by Aleong, and it seems to be tied in with the= =20 fear of a forensic audit on BWIA. =93But we will not be breaking the law to= =20 please Aleong, and he knows that, and that is why we believe it is part of= =20 a ploy. =93At this point, we are questioning the veracity of Aleong=92s= claim=20 in October, that BWIA was cash strapped, since he seems to be in no hurry=20 to access the bail out offered by the government. =93What is now absolutely= =20 clear to us, at this point, is that Aleong wants to get rid of all the=20 unions at BWIA, and also to replace permanent workers with temporary=20 workers, so that he will be able to do what he wants, when he wants.=94=20 Another term of the agreement which Valley wants Aleong to sign, is that=20 =93BWIA will provide its landing slots at Heathrow Airport, valued at US $10= =20 million, as a security for the loan=94. A concerned worker explained: =93A= top=20 BWIA official has always been threatening to sell those slots. =93But if= they=20 are placed as part of the security for the loan to be provided by the=20 government, he will no longer be able to make that threat.=94 The concerned workers told TnT Mirror that, based on all the developments,= =20 they are now demanding that Aleong tell them the =93real truth=94 about= BWIA. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) : escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: www.tobagoweddings.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************