Acting Manpower Minister warns SIA Pilots

[Lee]

Saturday November 22, 10:08 AM
Acting Manpower Minister warns SIA pilots against being too confrontational

SINGAPORE : Acting Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen has warned Singapore Airline pilots against being too confrontational after they voted out their union leaders earlier this week.
Dr Ng said the Government was concerned about what is happening and is watching the situation closely.

SIA pilots have been in the hot seat for some time now.

Earlier this year, they had a bitter dispute with the airline's management over wage cuts and retrenchments.

At the final hour, the pilots' union reached a compromise and averted a court battle.

But soon after, the airline company soared to second quarter profits of $306 million and started recruiting again.

Disgruntled pilots now said union leaders gave in to the cuts too easily - so they have been voted out after a no-confidence motion.

But the Government is concerned about the latest development.

Dr Ng said: "In this particular case, the exco had to go back to the general membership and consent was given. So how can it be that you have appointed the exco, the exco has acted on your behalf, come back and asked if you have agreed to the decision and you said 'yes', and then now you say 'well, you were too soft'?"

He urged the pilots to look at the bigger picture.

"It is setting the pilots union on a trajectory and they have to be careful of this. And the very confrontational stance and the very adversarial poise, they have to ask themselves if this is what they want and if this is what will help Singapore as an air hub?" he asked.

Dr Ng warned that if Singapore loses its status as an air hub, it will not just be the pilots who will lose their jobs but also baggage handlers, caterers and all the workers in supporting industries.

Dr Ng said: "There is an element of give-and-take, there is a larger picture which, for our survival, we wil need to do. But by your very actions, I think the unions, in particular the pilots' union is sending a very different signal, and I would again caution them please be careful and think carefully what you are doing."

But one of the union leaders, who was booted out during the no-confidence vote, said things were not that bad.

Captain P. James, Outgoing Vice President of Industrial Affairs, Airline Pilots' Association Singapore, said: "I don't really view it as confrontational. It's part and parcel of our normal democratic process, nothing really to worry about, and life will carry on." - CNA
________________________________________________

This is democracy Singapore style! The employer(s) can do anything they want, but the employees if they do something to better the cause, it is considered "confrontational".

[satumare]

SQ management is the government. Dictatorship and Communist style prevails.Democracy is dead a long time ago.

[Lee]

Yes, can't agree with you more.

Ministers in Singapore are always high-handed, the Acting Minister of Manpower is no exception. He can issue threats, pay-cuts, downsizing, retrenchments, axing, etc, but no one can criticize him. If you do, or say anything about the government, you are being "confrontational". One sided? Sure it is.

At the end of the day, slavery in the workforce in Singapore has never been eradicated, it just takes a new form! Look at the work conditions of Maids (domestic workers) in Singapore.

If the Acting Minister of Manpower, Ng Eng Hen, is really worth his salt, he would do something about the working conditions of maids in Singapore. Many employers treat maids like slaves in their homes and some even force the maids to work (illegally of corse) at their shops or businesses.

So, Ng Eng Hen you said you know what to do, by bringing the jobs back. I'm still waiting for you to deliver results. Too much talk (and noise) from you. I'm sure that is quite a big task for you to bring the jobs back to Singaporeans, so please don't interfere with us. You do your job and I do mine, and we can get along fine. (You don't have to worry about Singpore losing its aviation hub, because we pilots at SQ will continue to deliver what we have been trained to do. Can you do yours now?)

[sq111]

Lee

in for more bashes, esp with collective agreement up for re-negotiation in March. So what more to come?
We shall see.



Pilots warned: Stop, think and be careful
Ng Eng Hen warns them that adversarial approach threatens Singapore's role as air hub and tripartite labour relationship

By Natalie Soh and Goh Chin Lian

IN HIS second and strongest warning yet to Singapore Airlines pilots, Acting Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday told them to 'stop, think and be careful' about being confrontational and self-serving.

He will not allow them to risk the jobs of thousands of others by jeopardising Singapore's efforts in maintaining its role as an air hub.

Advertisement

'If we lose our competitive advantage, thousands will be out of work and a lot of them will not have the ability to be as mobile as the pilots.'

More important, the pilots' adversarial approach threatens to undermine the tripartite relationship between Government, employers and unions that has taken years to build.

This is something the Government will not sit still for, he warned:

'I am sounding a cautionary note: Please stop. Please take some time, think of what you are doing and be careful...I won't allow you to destroy the tripartite relationship.'

How will the Government respond if the pilots continue on this path?

'We will see what we can do,' he replied to the question from The Straits Times yesterday at a community event in Toa Payoh.

He was elaborating on his comments made last Friday, when he told reporters the Manpower Ministry was 'watching closely' the developments at the Air Line Pilots Association of Singapore (Alpa-S).

Disgruntled union members, who accused their leaders of giving in too easily to management in accepting wage cuts and no-pay leave, voted them out last Monday.

By taking this action, the pilots have disregarded the context in which the original deal was struck, noted Dr Ng.

He explained that in tackling the Sars threat earlier in the year, management and unions in many sectors made sacrifices.

For the pilots to turn around, after the airline made a $306-million profit in the second quarter, and say the union was too soft, is 'self-serving'.

This is especially so given Alpa-S members agreed to the terms of the deal and there is a profit-sharing formula in place if the company's fortunes turn around.

'They are not looking at the bigger picture, and have not understood that we have national imperatives,' said Dr Ng, referring to huge amount of resources poured into maintaining Singapore's position as an air hub.

Other unions in similar crises understand there is give-and-take in labour negotiations, he said, citing PSA Corporation, which axed 496 workers in a major restructure.

The PSA unions could have taken the same confrontational stance, but they chose not to for the greater good.

As to why Alpa-S chose a different path, Dr Ng surmised: 'It must mean the general membership is saying 'the next time we elect a new ex-co, we want people who are not-so-soft and drive a very, very hard bargain'.

'The signals are very clear: You have chosen the trajectory that is confrontational.'

In the face of such a threat, the tripartite relationship must be preserved as Singapore's labour relations cannot allow the disruptive practices of one union to trigger similar action in others, he said.

'One union can disrupt the type of relationship we have spent years in building...So the pilots union must learn not to be the odd one out. Look at the history, they have always chosen a more aggressive tone. And the general membership has said indeed this is what they want.'

When asked about Dr Ng's comments, Captain P. James, former Alpa-S vice-president for industrial affairs, disagreed the pilots are self-serving or confrontational.

For him, the issue is one of low morale in SIA, a problem that has also resulted in pilots leaving for other airlines.

'If things are okay now, why continue with the wage cuts? Why not hold them for one quarter and see? The bottom line is that in the service sector, you can't afford to have people with low morale.'

For the situation to improve, management also has to budge, he said. 'We have families to feed. We don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, but the goose also has to take care of its goslings.'

[b777pilot]

look on the bright side, at least he is saying that pilots in spore can affect the jobs of thousands??

and yet they are paid pittance? hmm, something's not right here....

confrontational? he should be in korea. rotting starfish, now, that's confrontational.

as i understand it, the voting out of the union officials was in accordance with the constituition of the pilots union, which i am told, is sanctioned by the min of labour of singapore. correct me if i am wrong.

now, i hear, it is 'confrontational'. i see......

so, moving along those lines, if voters were to vote out the opposition in singapore, it would be confrontational as well??

[sq111]

Lee and B777pilot,

That's the way it is here. Believe you guys are long enuff in this industry to remember what happened in the 80s. Then PM Lee mentioned that he'll close down SIA and start another one if he had to, and he'll be uncompromising to the industrial actions by the pilots in 1980?

That's life here in Singapore, Govt says, we do, no question asked

[CDRW]

b777 - I take it you meen vote out the present government and not the opposition? In Singapore no-one votes out the PAP - oppostion is either absorbed into the party, failing that its defamed publicly and then banned. There is no opposition.

Well, I suppose one thing - they have got the attention of the powers that be. Lots of sabre rattling - loads of press releases of how the pilots will bring down the economy of Singapore, thousands will loose their jobs in the related industries and all because of this greedy group of glorified bus drivers are holding the great SQ to ransom.

What should be asked - can SQ take another fatal crash? ( and no doubt the pilots will be to blame if it ever did).

[The Prisoner]

ALPA-S traditionally is the training ground for future SQ management, and hence who ever runs the "union" will ultimately be subservient to the incumbent management.

At least its not just the expats who are complaining and getting fired for their efforts. Will there be a mass cull of the elite Singaporeans, or will there be a cullin of Malaysians to prove the point. Its a pity SIA cant move on from LKY, and feel inexorably linked to the ways of the old conster. Cronyism is still rife in SQ and singapore, despite what the old man might infer . Oh and to disagree, you might be doing a wee bit of time as an exile.

I very much hope there’s a rebellion, the airline collapses, and a new generation of expats are invited in to sort out the big bloody god dam mess!! There are enough in the airline who can and should be given more power, instead of licking boots of incompetent management, as is oh so common.

[Dibble&Grub]

Oh it isn't really that bad - rebellion indeed. The locals just decided to exercise a democratic process and dump the union leaders.

That's the reason for all the fuss. The concept of using a vote to remove people in power is not a mindset that is really welcome around these parts.

Now we will see what is done to make sure everyone realises that what the membership did to their executive was not a "good idea".

I hope the seniors are prepared to hold their course and reap what they have sown. The youngsters have not a chance to do much with SIA's hands so deep in their pockets - squeezing their bonds.

Whatever happens the expats will end up playing Piggie in the Middle again ...

DG