Members of the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association and the Jamaica Cooperative Automobile and Limousine Tours Limited during their protest at the Sangster International Airport, in Montego Bay, yesterday. - Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer

Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter

WESTERN BUREAU:

Persons arriving at the Sangsters International Airport in Montego Bay experienced temporary delays yesterday, as members of the Jamaica Union of Travellers Association (JUTA) and the Jamaica Cooperative Automobile and Limousine Tours Limited (JCAL) pulled their services to protest against the airport's administration.

The operators were protesting against MBJ Airports Limited's decision to reduce their presence at the new arrival hall, which had a soft opening yesterday.

The new policy, which saw the number of persons being reduced from 12 to two, was announced in a letter addressed to the taxi operators last Friday.

Destroying their livelihood

Irate, the operators said the changes are in breach of an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two bodies, and the airport administration and called for it to be reversed. They also accused the administration of implementing policies geared at destroying their livelihood, while treating them like squatters when they pay to work there.

"Normally we have three JUTA and two JCAL operators inside (the arrival hall) with all (eight) of the supervisors and now they say one supervisor and no driver can go in and that cannot work," said JUTA supervisor David Watson.

In the last three years the 110 operators of both JUTA and JCAL have paid in excess of $16 million in fees to use the facility at US$47.00 each per month.

Meanwhile, David Solloway, MBJ Airport Limited's director of marketing and commercial development said the changes were an attempt to streamline the system to provide security for the visitors and less congestion in the airport hall. He said the changes would not affect the income of the operators who are main carriers at the facility as there will be no solicitation in the area.