jubilee773
6th Nov 2003, 12:29
From 6th Nov 03, The Straits Times :
Former cabin crew trainees will receive job offers, but retrenched workers will not be given any preference to return
SINGAPORE Airlines, still glowing from a $306 million profit between July and September, is recruiting pilots and cabin crew again.
Former cabin-crew trainees will be the first to receive job offers, said the airline's spokesman Innes Willox.
But when asked if the same policy would apply to the 26 pilots and 156 cabin crew who were axed in July, he said: 'Former employees are able to apply for positions once advertised.
'However, they will receive no preferential treatment nor will they be guaranteed a position in the selection process.'
Why the special treatment given to cabin-crew trainees?
He said: 'Because they still meet all the training criteria,' referring to physical attributes like height, weight and general looks.
The Straits Times understands that there are at least 140 of them.
The move not to show preference to all former employees has not gone down well with the employees' union.
Mr Mohamed Hussain Kassim, general-secretary of the SIA Staff Union, felt it was unfair that the company was sidelining former staff.
He asked: 'Why are former employees being discriminated against? If the company can recall cabin-crew trainees, why not re-hire former staff who have more experience and who have contributed more to the company?'
SIA, which reported its first ever loss - of $312 million - for the three months from April to June, laid off 596 staff and gave special retirement packages to another 145.
Those who were spared the axe had to take compulsory unpaid leave and wage cuts of between 5 per cent and 16.5 per cent.
But the airline has recovered from the devastating impact of Sars and the Iraq war and capacity is almost back to pre-Sars levels.
SIA, which cut its flights by up to a third during the travel slump, is also planning to add more flights in the months ahead.
To meet future staffing needs, 'we are now recruiting selectively, with flight crew and cabin crew positions among those receiving priority', said Mr Rick Clements, its vice-president for public affairs.
In the last six months, SIA has hired more than 20 cadet pilots.
But the airline, which is believed to have lost more than 20 pilots to other airlines, including Taiwan-based China Airlines and Dubai-based Emirates, may not find it so easy to recruit enough pilots in time for the expected upswing in travel demand.
Captain P. James, the Air Line Pilots Association's vice-president (industrial relations), said: 'It takes at least two years to train a cadet pilot and even licensed captains and first officers need to be trained for about six months before they can fly with SIA.'
He described the airline's retrenchment exercise as a knee-jerk reaction.
Capt James said: 'I said before and I say again that retrenchment should have been the last resort.'
Former cabin crew trainees will receive job offers, but retrenched workers will not be given any preference to return
SINGAPORE Airlines, still glowing from a $306 million profit between July and September, is recruiting pilots and cabin crew again.
Former cabin-crew trainees will be the first to receive job offers, said the airline's spokesman Innes Willox.
But when asked if the same policy would apply to the 26 pilots and 156 cabin crew who were axed in July, he said: 'Former employees are able to apply for positions once advertised.
'However, they will receive no preferential treatment nor will they be guaranteed a position in the selection process.'
Why the special treatment given to cabin-crew trainees?
He said: 'Because they still meet all the training criteria,' referring to physical attributes like height, weight and general looks.
The Straits Times understands that there are at least 140 of them.
The move not to show preference to all former employees has not gone down well with the employees' union.
Mr Mohamed Hussain Kassim, general-secretary of the SIA Staff Union, felt it was unfair that the company was sidelining former staff.
He asked: 'Why are former employees being discriminated against? If the company can recall cabin-crew trainees, why not re-hire former staff who have more experience and who have contributed more to the company?'
SIA, which reported its first ever loss - of $312 million - for the three months from April to June, laid off 596 staff and gave special retirement packages to another 145.
Those who were spared the axe had to take compulsory unpaid leave and wage cuts of between 5 per cent and 16.5 per cent.
But the airline has recovered from the devastating impact of Sars and the Iraq war and capacity is almost back to pre-Sars levels.
SIA, which cut its flights by up to a third during the travel slump, is also planning to add more flights in the months ahead.
To meet future staffing needs, 'we are now recruiting selectively, with flight crew and cabin crew positions among those receiving priority', said Mr Rick Clements, its vice-president for public affairs.
In the last six months, SIA has hired more than 20 cadet pilots.
But the airline, which is believed to have lost more than 20 pilots to other airlines, including Taiwan-based China Airlines and Dubai-based Emirates, may not find it so easy to recruit enough pilots in time for the expected upswing in travel demand.
Captain P. James, the Air Line Pilots Association's vice-president (industrial relations), said: 'It takes at least two years to train a cadet pilot and even licensed captains and first officers need to be trained for about six months before they can fly with SIA.'
He described the airline's retrenchment exercise as a knee-jerk reaction.
Capt James said: 'I said before and I say again that retrenchment should have been the last resort.'