THE TT Airline Pilots Association (TTALPA) has signed a 2015-2020 collective bargaining agreement with Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL).
TTALPA industrial relations representative Timothy Bailey confirmed this to the Newsday at 6 pm on December 11 via WhatsApp.
The signing of the agreement puts and end to six years of negotiations between the pilots and CAL over wages and other aspects of the bargaining agreement.
On December 9, TTALPA complained that CAL, after settling on a four-per-cent wage increases, sought to remove a clause based on a 2011 memorandum of understanding that allowed for 75 per cent of a pilot's salary to be paid in US.
Bailey said while the pilots have never received payments in US and never requested it, the clause allows for parity for CAL pilots as compared to pilots in other countries.
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He neither confirmed nor denied whether the clause was left in the agreement when speaking to Newsday on Wednesday. He simply said the agreement was "signed and sealed."
A statement from CAL said the agreement represented an important step in the collaboration between the airline and the association.
"Caribbean Airlines extends its thanks to TTALPA, its members and all employees for their patience, professionalism and dedication throughout this process. The airline also acknowledges the significant contributions of other stakeholders, whose support and co-operation were instrumental in achieving this resolution."
CAL said it remained focused on delivering top-class service to customers and sought to assure the travelling public that operations continued as normal.
"The airline appreciates the confidence and support of all stakeholders and reaffirms its commitment to fostering positive relationships and sustainable growth for the benefit of the entire Caribbean region."
Negotiations for the collective agreement began in 2019. At the time, TTALPA submitted a proposal for a four-per-cent increase to be spread in one-per-cent increments over the following four years.
In October 2024, TTALPA shared comparative wages which showed that CAL pilots were among the lowest paid in the region.
The statistics showed that a CAL captain’s salary is a little less than half (42.41 per cent) the salary of a captain employed with Southwest Airways.
The statistics said CAL jet captains were paid 49 per cent less than a United Airlines captain
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Regionally CAL captains are still paid about nine per cent less than a Cayman Airlines jet captain.
“That means if a Cayman Islands jet captain gets paid a dollar, a CAL captain will get paid 90 cents,” Bailey said.
On October 30, after pilots peacefully picketed, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert intervened and approved the four-per-cent salary increase.
