As Caribbean Airlines (CAL) prepares to formalise its Shareholders' Agreement with Air Jamaica, the company is cutting jobs. Already 54 employees have been sent home. The Guardian was told that those positions have become redundant. CAL's communications director Laura Asbjornsen said that the majority of people were given permanant CAL contracts and a few were given two month contracts. She explained it was part of the transition actions that CAL's busy with in preparation for the signing of the shareholder agreement.
She did not state whether more jobs would be cut. When CAL acquired the aircraft and routes of Air Jamaica on May 1,2010 the majority of workers were given contracts which ended on April 30. For the moment, the contracts of some 300 workers remain in limbo. CAL has missed the April 30 deadline to formalise the Shareholders' Agreement, which would end the Transitional Services Agreement and begins CAL's permanant acquisition of Air Jamaica. At the moment, CAL has negotiated a two week extension with Air Jamaica.