By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Bahamasair’s managing director yesterday said the decision to “outsource” some 50 ramp service operators to Nassau Flight Services was made to improve efficiency and reduce dependence on the Government.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Tracy Cooper said the airline’s management is working with the Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU) in a bid to improve relations and adhere to their industrial agreement.

“The Government of the Bahamas owns both Bahamasair as a corporation and Nassau Flight services as a corporation. The simple fact is that it doesn’t make sense for both entities to be doing the same thing and the Government’s supporting both. So this whole programme is to bring better efficiencies so that there could be less dependency on the Government,” said Mr Cooper.

“You have your most valuable assets within the airline, as to your staffing. The unions are there to try and see what they could do as far as bettering that. And so we understand that we have to work with the unions in coming to agreements. Inevitably, we’ve been able to have agreements at the end of the day that are beneficial to all. So, at this particular point, it’s just a matter of working through the things that are placed on the table.”

The Airport, Airline and Allied Workers Union (AAAWU) ] threatened to apply for a strike vote over the workers’ transfer last month. Jewel Fountain, its president, said that on September 27 several of her members received letters from Bahamasair management informing them of their payout value and giving them until that Friday to agree to a transfer to Nassau Flight Services and the owed amount or be made redundant.

She alleged the union was not consulted on the transfer, and the correspondence was sent to the union at the same time it was sent to employees. Ms Fountain said she intended to apply for a strike certificate from the Department of Labour and will do “whatever is necessary” to ensure her members are treated fairly.

Last month, Airlines for America, whose members include American Airlines, Jet Blue, FedEx, Delta, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, urged the US Department of Transportation not to renew Bahamasair’s authority to offer passenger and cargo services to and from the US. Their attempt, however, was unsuccessful and Mr Cooper dismissed the objection as “noise in the market”.

He noted that The Bahamas has a bilateral air services agreement with the US, and he never thought their objection would affect Bahamasair’s ability to continue flights to that country.

“The issue of Bahamasair’s application for continuing flying into the US was not really an issue at all. It was more of.. how do we put it? It was more noise in the market, really,” said Mr Cooper.

“The Bahamas and the US have a bilateral agreement, and that bilateral agreement allows airlines from both sides to be able to fly under that agreement. The Bahamas was only making an application as laid out by the bilateral agreement.

“It was supposed to be a standard application. We did put it in. There was an objection by some entities in the US, but we never really thought that it was something that would affect our ability to fly to the US.”