TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY SPEAKS ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS SICK OUT

The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (“TCIAA”) wishes to advise the public that its airports throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands (“TCI”) remain operational amidst a “sick-out” carried out by its Air Traffic Controllers. The action was intentional in its desire to cause significant and irreparable harm to the reputation of TCI as a stable premium travel destination and its economy.

In what was a strategically coordinated activity, on Friday, 1^st March 2024 those scheduled to work the Air Traffic Control Towers at the Howard Hamilton International Airport and JAGS McCartney International Airport failed to report to duty and claimed to be of ill health, while others who were not scheduled for that day refused to answer their phones.

To ensure that operations at the airports were not suspended for the day, a small dedicated team of employees qualified to operate the towers worked non-stop throughout the day to ensure that flights safely arrived and departed both airports. Another dedicated team will continue to provide this service throughout the night.

The Acting Governor and Premier and their teams remained with the TCIAA throughout the day to explore strategies and solutions to ensure that all airports remained operational, that there was minimal disruption to scheduled flights, and to see the return of the air traffic controllers to their posts. The Minister with Responsibility for Airports, the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Education, and the Minister for Infrastructure and Physical Planning also joined the group to meet with six Air Traffic Controllers, two of whom agreed to return to work, while four declined to confirm their return at the time.

The public is advised that the primary motive for the action taken by the Air Traffic Controllers was to force the TCIAA and TCIG to immediately agree to their demands for salary increases. These demands were made even though during January and February 2024 there were several communications and a meeting between the Air Traffic Controllers, Hon. Arlington Musgrove and the TCIAA to discuss their request for salary increases. On several occasions, the employees were advised that the Government initiated a salary review of all statutory bodies, including the TCIAA, utilizing a reputable global accounting firm with the view to determining and guiding the development of an equitable compensation scheme for all employed in public service. During this period, the Air Traffic Controllers presented material purporting to represent salary comparisons for their counterparts throughout the region and were invited to provide the TCIAA with the sources for the data cited for forwarding to TCIG for consideration as part of the salary review exercise. On 12^th February 2024, the TCIAA advised the group that the data they provided was passed on to the Deputy Governor’s Office for inclusion in material to be considered by the consultants conducting the review. The group was also advised of the Government’s appointment of the consultants and the planned commencement of the review by May 2024. In response to this advice, the group responded to the TCIAA dismissing the need and value of an expert salary review, indicating no desire to participate in the study, and effectively directed that their salary demands be met without further discussion at the start of the 2024/2025 Fiscal Budget. In addition to this response, the group cancelled a meeting initially requested of the TCIAA for 15^th February 2024 provided no further correspondence about the matter and gave no notice of the intention to pursue industrial action of any kind.

During the meeting with the six representatives for the Air Traffic Controllers on 1^st March 2024, the Government confirmed its commitment to expediting the salary review and elevated the Airports Authority to the top of its list of bodies to be studied and reported on. Those present on behalf of TCIG and the TCIAA reiterated the position that the exercise aims to achieve equity and equality of compensation for the benefit of all employees and not just one particular group.

The TCIAA reminds the public that at the end of 2021, the TCIAA and TCIG gave all employees a Christmas Bonus, the first to be given in the history of the organization, and then in the first quarter of the 2022 – 2023 fiscal year, they gave not only the Air Traffic Controllers but all of its employees two salary increases averaging a 31% uplift. Some members of the department benefitted by increases of up to 50%.

The following table provides a comparative breakdown of the compensation scheme for Air Traffic Controllers at the TCIAA prior to 2022, the current salary resulting from the 2022 increase, and the salary which the group demanded to be given to them forthwith without any further due diligence.

The TCIAA recognises the importance of supporting its employees’ well-being and further recognises the need for occasional sick leave when necessary. However, such leave mustn’t be abused or exploited for personal gain and/or with the intentional pursuit of causing harm, disrupting of business, and compromising the safety of the travelling public. Such actions are a breach of trust and integrity, as well as a failure to adhere to the standards of honesty and transparency expected of all employees.

Notably, those participating in the “sick-out” falsely reported their absence as due to illness and then subsequently attended the meeting held to discuss and pursue negotiations for a salary increase. This conduct further undermines the principles of integrity, professionalism and accountability and the TCIAA cautions the public against endorsing such behaviour, particularly in the case where it was admitted by one of the representatives for the group, that the action taken by them was upon reflection, wrong.

The TCIAA wishes to express its sincerest gratitude to all of its employees who work hard every day to deliver the best of themselves in honour of the TCI. We particularly thank those Air Traffic Controllers who honoured their call of duty and reported to work, even though they were not scheduled for the day.

The TCIAA will be seeking to immediately recruit new and former employees to fill the vacancies created as a consequence of today’s action, to ensure that adequate staffing levels are restored as soon as possible