The nation’s two main unions warned the government on Monday that they will not accept further delays in tackling long-standing problems affecting air traffic controllers at Grantley Adams International Airport, after a shortage of staff forced the partial closure of Barbados’ airspace at the weekend.
The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) said they will not accept any more “long talk” about the issues, insisting that the authorities must act to address poor working conditions that have been ignored for far too long.
The disruption on Saturday affected inbound and outbound flights for about seven and a half hours after a staff shortage in the controllers’ unit, the Air Navigation Services department, forced a temporary restriction of airspace.
BWU Deputy General Secretary Dwaine Paul told Barbados TODAY that the concerns affecting the unit were longstanding and stemmed largely from unresolved health, safety and workplace issues.
He said: “Not many concerns affecting air traffic control are really new. If you recall, in November last year when I was dealing with a matter at [Goddard Catering Group], I said there were a number of issues relating to working conditions, health and safety and the like within the wider airport compound, and that if they were not addressed, we would see more dislocation at the airport.
“The issues aren’t new. The issues suffer from inaction in terms of addressing them.”
The shortage affected several flights. Two British Airways and two Virgin Atlantic services from the United Kingdom were accommodated along with air-to-sea flights, but other services were disrupted.
American Airlines flights were cancelled, a JetBlue service from New York returned to JFK, an Air Canada flight returned to Canada, and another JetBlue flight from Boston was diverted to San Juan before later travelling to Barbados. A medical evacuation flight was able to depart safely during the disruption.
The situation stranded visitors at the airport, with some expressing concern about whether they would be able to leave the island.
The disruption highlighted deeper problems affecting the controllers and warned that failure to address the issues had contributed to the current situation, Paul said.
“If people had heeded warnings and addressed issues affecting staff, then we would not have reached this point.”
He argued that the absence of staff on Saturday may actually have prevented a more serious safety concern, given the pressures associated with air traffic control.
“In that job people have to be in a particular frame of mind to deal with its stresses, and if they are not in the best frame of mind required, they should not take control. So I think what happened may have been the best result for the country and for the wider public in terms of safety.”
Paul declined to disclose how many workers were absent from duty but said the union intends to present a full account of the issues affecting the department later this week after high-level discussions with management.
“We’re looking for clear, very, very clear prescriptions to resolve the matters that have been affecting the unit,” he said. “We’re not looking for any talk; we’re looking for resolution.”
The NUPW had also been in talks for some time with the Ministry of the Public Service and the Ministry of International Transport about several concerns raised by air traffic controllers, according to general secretary Richard Green.
The issues related to conditions of service, including appointments, the creation of designated posts, working conditions and the overall work environment, he cited. He also cited multiple occasions when workers were required to work extended hours, concerns over compensation, and what he described as a chronic shortage of staff.
The union had been trying to prevent burnout among workers, he added, noting that the NUPW shared the BWU’s concerns about staff treatment and the urgency with which these matters need to be addressed.
After the seven-hour long disruption, government officials held a meeting with the unions and described the meeting as productive, adding that a follow-up session on Wednesday has been scheduled to address the workers’ concerns.
The NUPW leader said he was looking forward to the talks but has asked for an agenda.
“We want to ensure this meeting produces results and not a rehash of previous failures to meet agreements,” he said. “We want a concrete path to address matters in the department in a meaningful way.”
Normal operations at the airport resumed around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The BWU has previously warned about unresolved labour issues across several companies operating at the airport.
Last November, following industrial action at privately owned flight kitchen Goddard Catering Group, Paul cautioned that mounting frustration over pay and conditions could lead to further industrial action affecting multiple service providers at the airport.
“There are a number of entities at the airport with outstanding grievances. Some have reached the point of frustration, and as those matters remain unresolved, we are likely to see further industrial action at the airport very soon during this season,” he said at the time.
Last month, Paul reiterated that workers across the airport were not being treated fairly and urged employers to do right by their employees.
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