Good job, Kader, show 'em what yer made of...
Talk about being monitored closely, this article came out as soon as Kader made known his manifesto...
Candidate for pilots' union president accuses SIA of abusing staff goodwill
03 December 2003 1857 hrs (SST)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori.../60253/1/.html
One of the SIA captains who wants to lead the pilots' union has accused the airline's manangement of abusing the goodwill of staff, and acting on its own whims and fancies.
These rather blunt accusations have surprised some, who thought the pilots' union election would be a tame affair after the Government warned the pilots repeatedly about their confrontational attitude.
The pilot's union is facing plenty of turbulence and one of the two captains who wants to take control, has just written an open letter to the 1,600 members of the airline pilots' association.
In the letter, Captain Syed Abdul Kader, a junior captain on SIA's triple-7s, accused the airline's management of "abusing the goodwill" of SIA staff by implementing unilateral decisions without consulting the unions.
He also took issue with the number of pilots who were retrenched, pointing out that since July the airline has had to hire even more Captains and First Officers then it let go.
Captain Kader says SIA management also should never have forced the pilots to take compulsory no-pay leave to cut costs.
He claims it was not equitably distributed and pilots still have many days of annual leave to clear.
The outgoing union was also not spared.
Captain Kader claims some of them have not been totally transparent with the pilots.
But at the same time he says he does not support the move to boot out the former union leaders.
So what exactly is Captain Kader promising pilots?
He says: an open channel of communication with management and the Government, so that the position and views of pilots are represented clearly and not through a third party or the media.
He also wants to "coerce" SIA not to take unilateral decisions that will destabilise industrial relations and lower staff moral.
Captain Kader also revealed that the other pilot standing for election - Captain Mok Hin Choon - had earlier asked him to join forces and not contest the post of union president.
But Captain Kader says he refused because he does not share Captain Mok's position, and he does not know his vision. - CNA