Government tells BWIA unions: Give up 10% to save airline BY JUHEL BROWNE Guardian 06.24.03 Government has rejected the proposals put forward by three unions at BWIA for labour cost reductions and is insisting they each give up ten per cent. Trade Minister Kenneth Valley met with the unions yesterday and told them their proposals were not enough to ensure the State's future financial support of BWIA. "There was some effort, but I told them if we have to move forward we need more than that," said Valley, the line Minister responsible for BWIA yesterday. Valley, a member of the Sub-Committee on BWIA, held a meeting with the Aviation Communications and Allied Workers Union, Airline Superintendents Association and Communication Transport and General Workers Trade Union leaders at the Eric Williams Financial Complex in Port-of-Spain. Valley was accompanied by fellow Sub-Committee members Works Minister Franklin Khan and Junior Finance Ministers Conrad Enill and Christine Sahadeo. Also attending the meeting were Government's consultants on BWIA - Zwaig Consulting Inc president Melvin Zwaig and vice president Cameron McCaw. The two-hour meeting began at 3 pm. Valley said the Sub-Committee met with the Zwaig executives earlier in the day and had concluded the unions' suggestions for labour cuts were not enough. "Basically what they said is we have to do better than that," said ASA president Theo Oliver. ACAWU has proposed allowance cuts that would represent a 6.07 per cent reduction in BWIA's payroll while CATTU's proposal would result in a six per cent reduction. The unions will be meeting with Zwaig and McCaw today to discuss exactly how they could increase their proposals for labour cost cuts on behalf of their members. The union leaders said their members are willing to negotiate reductions in allowances but have twice refused to take any further cuts in their wages which were frozen in 2001. "We are looking at productivity gains. It does not necessarily have to be a wage cut," Valley said. Trade Minister Kenneth Valley said yesterday he expects to present his recommendations on BWIA's cost reduction plans to Cabinet on Thursday. Valley confirmed he received the BWIA plan from the airline's acting chairman Anthony Jacelon last week Monday and is still reviewing the proposal. However, Zwaig Consulting Inc vice president Cameron McCaw said his company has not been given any time frame by the Government to complete their work. "It's an ongoing thing. We are working closely with the Government," McCaw said. "Any company that has financial challenges is always difficult." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.carib-link.net/naparima/naps.html TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************