Compulsory leave for all, pay freeze for managers at SIA

[Syed A Ridhwan 0]

Compulsory leave for all, pay freeze for managers at SIA

 

SINGAPORE, April 2 — More than 1,400 Singapore Airlines staff have volunteered to take no-pay leave, but this will not be enough to help the airline through the current slump.

 

It has thus been forced to take further steps: compulsory leave of up to one day a month for all, and a wage freeze for management staff in the current financial year, which ends next March.

 

The airline said yesterday that senior management are already on the shorter-work-month scheme. Managers will go on it from May 1.

 

In-principle agreement has also been reached with two of the airline's key unions, the Singapore Airlines Staff Union and the Airline Executive Staff Union, for other ground workers and cabin crew to be put on the scheme, possibly from May 1 as well. Discussions are still on with the pilots' union, SIA said.

 

A few weeks ago, SIA told its more than 14,000 employees that applications were open for no-pay leave — for anything from one week to two years.

 

Staff had until March 31 to decide.

 

Airline spokesman Stephen Forshaw told The Straits Times that the majority of those who took up the offer were cabin crew, and for periods of less than a month.

 

But even with all these measures in place, the airline said in its statement that it cannot rule out further steps to contain costs if the economic downturn results in a worsening travel slump.

 

The measures taken so far are necessary because of plans to cut capacity, measured in terms of the number of seats available and total distance flown, by 11 per cent over the next 12 months.

 

SIA will also take 17 aircraft from its fleet of just over 100 planes out of service for at least a year.

 

Alan Tan, president of the SIA Staff Union, which represents cabin crew and other rank-and-file staff, told The Straits Times that the leave scheme for cabin crew and ground staff will differ.

 

For ground workers, the compulsory day of leave per month can be no-pay leave, or from their paid annual leave.

 

For cabin crew, it will be one day of no-pay leave every four months. For rostering purposes and other operational reasons, they cannot take the compulsory leave out of their annual vacations.

 

Captain P. James, president of the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore, said the union will continue to engage management. Both sides are meeting today. — Straits Times

Source

 

[Tamizi Hj Tamby 1]

Whoa..what a suprise

[Azreen 0]

Ohh la la

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

A premium airline will be the worst hit when an economic crisis rolls by. Not surprising. But they'll climb back.

[Kenneth T 0]

Im not surprise SQ took such measure for cost cutting purpose..CX was indeed forcing its cabin staff for leave as well....

Edited April 2, 2009 by Kenneth T

[Phil M. 0]

Not to worry uncle lee will think of somethinglah but for sure this is tough times!Remember SARS i remember all the big jumbos parked along the taxiways like a parking lot surely SIA will somehow find their way sooner than later