Hi folks...
This morning Strait Times comes out with story about SIA retrenchments......
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/top...95403,00.html?
Round 1: SIA to lay off 500 ground staff today
By Rebecca Lee and Sue-Ann Chia
SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) begins its widely expected retrenchment exercise today by axing ground staff first and about 500 employees will be told to go, The Straits Times learnt yesterday.
Although the 6,600 cabin crew and 1,800 pilots will also be affected by the airline's first major retrenchment in 20 years, a final decision on how many in their ranks will be laid off has not been reached, said sources.
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The complications in re-arranging the roster of cabin crew and pilots could partly explain the longer time needed.
The cabin crew have also already taken seven days' no-pay leave every two months and this is likely to be increased to nine days next month.
Of the 500 ground crew likely to be given pink slips today, sources said 150 will be from the airline, 200 from listed SIA unit Singapore Airport Terminal Services (Sats), 100 from SIA Engineering and another 50 from its other subsidiaries.
The number of workers affected today is the first round of layoffs that earlier reports said could range from 1,200 to 2,500 jobs that the management was considering making redundant.
However, the final tally will likely fall closer to the lower end of the range that sources had earlier indicated will be affected.
The numbers will include employees who have opted for a special early-retirement package that the company has extended to selected employees with more than 25 years of service and workers whose contracts are not being renewed.
SIA may also shrink or shut some of its stations abroad.
Of the 30,000 staff within the SIA group, about 5,000 are employed overseas.
Sources had indicated earlier that the range of job cuts will be 5 to 10 per cent for ground staff and 2 to 5 per cent for operating crew across the group.
The layoffs come at a time when the airline has taken a severe hit from Sars, losing some $204 million in April alone with passenger numbers plunging 60 per cent last month.
When contacted yesterday, an SIA spokesman said: 'We have not at this time advised staff on any retrenchments. Staff would be the first to know.'
But SIA employees interviewed seemed to think otherwise.
Said an engineer: 'The grapevine says retrenchments will take place tomorrow morning, half an hour after work starts. Must pack and go immediately.
'What I want to know is why we are always the last to know.'
A union leader, who declined to be named, said that they were preparing for the layoffs.
'This is so that we will not be caught off-guard,' the leader explained.
A 'buddy' system, in which an employee is assigned to help some of those laid off, is also in place.
The largest SIA union, SIA Staff Union, which represents about 9,000 rank-and-file employees, is said to be also making similar preparations and has consulted job placement experts.
Said an airline executive: 'Everyone's feeling sombre and depressed.'