Air traffic controllers from the Timehri and Ogle airports yesterday continued their sick-out forcing senior aviation personnel to fill in so as to ensure there was no shortfall in the system.
The controllers on Friday decided to take the action after Transport Minister Robeson Benn blocked $18M in back pay for the staff. Benn told Stabroek News on Friday during a parliamentary recess that neither he nor Finance Minister Ashni Singh were aware of the intended pay-out and had not approved it.
Speaking with this newspaper yesterday Benn said he had spoken with some of the senior people who were manning the system and noted that the sick-out continued.
He said he had been told by aviation management that the system was covered for the entire weekend should the staff continue their action today and tomorrow. However, he was unable to say exactly how many controllers were absent from work yesterday.
Meanwhile, President of the Air Traffic Controllers Association Trevor Daly told this newspaper that he and workers had met to discuss the matter on Friday night and had drafted letters articulating their position to several persons including Benn, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority director Zulficar Mohammed, Board Chairman Brian James and Public Service Union head Patrick Yarde.
He said at least 14 persons had not reported for duty since the sick-out started on Friday morning.
According to Daly, staff remained hopeful that the matter would be resolved and everything could return to normal
Staff were reportedly told in a memo that their payments had already been prepared, but following a visit to the office by Benn, they were subsequently informed that their monies would be withheld. Benn has since promised to review the issue and some resolution is expected by Tuesday.
Since 2003, when the government had announced across-the-board increases, the GCAA, a semi-autonomous body, had only added increments to its salaries.
Staff reportedly became aware of their entitlement some time in November last year and approached management. As a result, they began to benefit from an adjusted salary scale from January. However, there was still the matter of the outstanding back payments, the source said, and employees were led to believe that they would see this reflected in their January salaries, and then in their February salaries. Subsequently they were said to have been assured that the payments would be made by the end of February.
Benn has said that since the GCAA is an autonomous agency, payments are made based only on the ability to pay and after approval by the minister.
