| CSA denies involvement in “sick out” | | Print | |
| Written by Richard Green/richard@fptci.com | |||
| Tuesday, 29 March 2011 12:18 | |||
 The Civil Service Association denies that it organized a “sick out” of hundreds of public servants, including airport firefighters, which closed Providenciales to all flights for most of the day on March 24. CSA President Dr. Rufus Ewing, who was one of several hundred government employees who called in sick, said the organization was not to blame as claimed by the interim government and the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority. “The CSA maintains that it did not give instructions to its members to be sick or engage in a sick out,” Ewing said at a press conference March 25. “It is unknown whether civil servants were genuinely sick or whether they were protesting in response to the impending changes in policy as it relates to taxation, pension and payroll.” Ewing accuses the government of already making “significant advances” in changing public service pensions and pay while being reluctant to have a meaningful dialogue with the CSA, which has issued demands and threatened to take legal and other action to make its case. Government CEO Mark Capes replied to the CSA on March 25, one day after the sick out. Ewing and the CSA were also upset that a meeting last week with Director of Overseas Territories Colin Roberts and Director General in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Robert Hannigan was canceled. Instead, Ewing was invited to a cocktail party at which he got no more than 15 minutes with both men.The CSA has about 500 members among all 2,400 government employees, Ewing said. But the most damage to tourism came from seven firefighters who called in sick, closing the airport to all commercial and private air traffic for most of the day because of a lack of fire service. The sick out apparently affected most government offices and services, including government schools, phone service and e-mail. However, essential services of police, volunteer fire and Emergency Medical Services reported that they were operating normally. The financial impact on government, the tourism industry and businesses comes at a time when they are beginning to get back on their feet during the height of a booming tourism season. The Tourist Board lamented the sick out, saying “The inconvenience caused to our guests could shake their confidence in brand TCI and prove counter-productive to the health and growth of tourism in our islands. Additionally, disruptions in the tourism sector cost the Tourist Board, our private sector partners and government significant sums to restore the destination’s image in the market place.” Click HERE to read Capes' full reply to the CSA demands of March 11.
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