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View Full Version : Singapore Airlines may retrench 100 pilots


Wirraway
24th Jun 2003, 13:40
Reuters

Singapore Air may lay off 1,000 cabin crew-paper

SINGAPORE, June 24 (Reuters) - Singapore Airlines Ltd may retrench 100 pilots and 1,000 cabin crew within a few weeks, in the second round of job cuts after it laid off 414 staff, the Business Times said on Tuesday.

The state-controlled flag carrier, Asia's largest airline by market value, has about 1,800 pilots and 6,600 cabin crew.

"This is, again, speculation," Singapore Airlines spokesman Rick Clements told Reuters, when asked to comment on the report.

The newspaper, quoting unidentified sources close to the airline, said that with loads likely to pick up in the coming months, the airline was not likely to shed all excess staff.

It said the carrier would be more sympathetic to cabin crew, who have readily accepted proposed pay cuts and unpaid leave.

The airline is seeking arbitration after the failure of negotiations over wage cuts for pilots.

Singapore Airlines, which faces its first-ever quarterly loss, announced on Thursday it planned to lay off 414 employees, mostly ground staff.

This sparked speculation the airline, which has been hammered by the Iraq war and outbreak of SARS, would announce more cuts.

Singapore Airlines chief executive officer Chew Choon Seng has said the airline could not rule out further retrenchments.

The airline said it would take a one-off charge of S$12.2 million ($7.05 million) in its April to June quarter after it cut 414 staff. (US$1=1.731 Singapore Dollar)

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404 Titan
24th Jun 2003, 16:22
Isn’t it funny that Singapore Airlines are asking their pilots to take twice as much unpaid leave as Cathay Pacific pilots have been asked and also asking them to take a 27.5% permanent pay cut. Cathay has been affected way more by SARS and the Iraq war than Singapore yet Mr Chew Choon Seng and his cronies are trying to make a whole sale raid on the Singapore Airlines pilot’s conditions of service. They are using the Iraq war and SARS and the retrenchment of 100 pilots as a smoke screen to their real agenda, further devaluing the profession of airline pilots. It is about time we all put a stop to this scourge that is happening in our industry. If we don’t then this industry won’t be worth staying in for the long term.
:ouch: :{

greybeard
24th Jun 2003, 18:27
There have already been 24 Pilots terminated from a combination of SIA and MI