By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMASAIR’S Board of Directors is expected to meet today to determine what action will be taken against dozens of Bahamasair pilots who staged a “sick out” last week, according to board Chairman Valentine Grimes.

Mr Grimes told The Tribune the “pilots who did not work cannot expect to get paid”. He said the board will meet at 3pm to determine the “other repercussions” and a final decision will be made before the end of the week.

When asked how much money the two-day demonstration caused the national flag carrier to lose, Bahamasair’s Managing Director Henry Woods said the airline was still “calculating”. However, he said the final figure will be a “very significant amount”.

“The damage it caused the airline and the country is immeasurable,” Mr Woods said. “The actual expense in cents and dollars can be calculated, but what has been done to the reputation of the Bahamas and Bahamasair can not be repaid. Many locals have voiced their displeasure with the situation and vowed to never fly with us again.

“Tourists who sat in the airport for days as a result of this terrible experience vowed to never return to the Bahamas. That is real, irreparable damage. The board of directors will meet and decide what, if anything will happen. It now rests in their hands and after that decision is made, the recommendation will be passed on to the government.”

The two-day sick out began last Monday afternoon and continued until Christmas Eve morning, leaving the airline’s domestic and international flights grounded. The industrial action began after the pilots association’s executives reportedly walked out of a negotiation meeting with the government over its new contract.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the “corporate sabotage” from Bahamasair pilots should quicken the government’s effort to privatise the cash-strapped airline.

He also criticised the “irresponsible” and “selfish” acts of Bahamasair pilots, who left thousands of passengers stranded before Christmas. He added that stakeholders need to realise the airline is “no longer an essential service”.

Mr Davis, who has ministerial responsibility for Bahamasair, also suggested that the pilots may be punished appropriately for their “unlawful” industrial action, adding that the costs incurred from the sick out may prompt him to withdraw the government’s proposal for the pilots’ new contract.

While Mr Davis did not say what penalties, if any, the pilots would face, a well-placed source told The Tribune their pay would be docked for the missed work days. The government is also considering asking the pilots to pay for the losses the airline incurred due to the industrial action.

When contacted for comment, Captain Joseph Moxey, the president of the Bahamas Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), said he “will not respond in the media to executives”. However, last Tuesday he told The Tribune his members were “not being unreasonable” in their demands. He apologised to the public for the situation, but said the pilots were “stressed out and mentally drained” and that it was not safe for them to fly a plane in that state.