millerscourt
Just returned from Singapore where I saw a number of my SIA cronies. Seems you’re right about the bond – a lot of the boys are stuck with it and now that SIA have fired, quote “the ones we wanted rid of”, the airline is not keen on letting any more guys leave. Also people are hanging on as usual for the rest of 2002’s bonus payment, the 13th month payment in Jan ’04 and the return of their cash currently hijacked – err, sorry, held by the airline as a 22% pay cut (some say as an interest free loan) and apparently only returnable if SIA makes S$700M+ profit for 2003. So even though the boys are absolutely livid about the pay cut plus, incidentally, a unilateral move to dump the Pilots Provident Fund and loath SIA even more than they did, they are unlikely to go through the hassle of a shift to a LHS position with EK that would seem to pay them about the same pittance. The only guys in a position to transit from SIA to EK, of course, are the ones who were “let go”.
Also the reputation of EK seems to have diminished amongst our SE Asia colleagues. They perceive EK going along the same lines as SIA – stealthy salami cuts to benefits, staff travel, housing etc plus growing indifference to the welfare and aspirations of their work force. I guess we’re seeing this latter with the kick in the slats to the FO’s with the recruitment of DEC’s. I would imagine quite a few of this group, who in the past seem to have had their heads in the sand, will be highly miffed that they gave up previous commands to join EK and are now being sidelined.
Isn’t ex-pat life wonderful?