SQ pilots under political pressure (merged)
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GWTF,
You are right but the airlines you mentioned are currently not all too fond of accepting SQ pilot, specifically the locals.
I know of many who wishes to leave but the offers from KA and EK are not forthcoming.
Not to mention the bond these poor FOs has to pay.
As for Captains leaving for CAL, just read that many has joined KA as FOs. Especially those ex-Ansett pilots from MI.
After reading the latest text issued from the management wrt industrial relations(dated 1dec), the tone seemed to be one of "we were right, we are still right and now we have really big guns behind us." albeit delivered more gently.
For those who read between the lines, notice that both LKY and his son's statements said nothing of paying SQ pilots market rate.
And people, no matter what is said by others, on this tiny piece of rock, it is the words of these two men that counts.
Also note that the word "market rate" was not mentioned by any NTUC statements, which ALPA-S will be affiliated to very soon.
You are right but the airlines you mentioned are currently not all too fond of accepting SQ pilot, specifically the locals.
I know of many who wishes to leave but the offers from KA and EK are not forthcoming.
Not to mention the bond these poor FOs has to pay.
As for Captains leaving for CAL, just read that many has joined KA as FOs. Especially those ex-Ansett pilots from MI.
After reading the latest text issued from the management wrt industrial relations(dated 1dec), the tone seemed to be one of "we were right, we are still right and now we have really big guns behind us." albeit delivered more gently.
For those who read between the lines, notice that both LKY and his son's statements said nothing of paying SQ pilots market rate.
And people, no matter what is said by others, on this tiny piece of rock, it is the words of these two men that counts.
Also note that the word "market rate" was not mentioned by any NTUC statements, which ALPA-S will be affiliated to very soon.
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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
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
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So much for the white knight to be,with open letter and promises to all.Guess what will happen when you get guys knocking at your door at night.Shrivel up,scared **** and promise to tow the line.Next is you get"yes sir,yes sir three.....".Nothing changes.
You need GOD there now to be on the pilot's side.
You need GOD there now to be on the pilot's side.
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Great Way to fly, although I agree that fear is well spread inside the working community here in Singapore, it is very often the fear of unconfirmed stories, that slowely become an unconfirmed fact. Don't get me wrong, the governement tries to rule with an iron fist but sofar I know of nobody in the pilot community who has had this knock on the door or was dragged of into a freezing airconditioned interrogation room, to be quized for 36 hours non-stop. ( These are some of the stories) Perhaps it is time for the union members to do a reality check and ask themselves, especially after the enormous flood of articles who really is the scared party.
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Is the statement true that SQ had to hire MORE pilots than it let go recently just to stay even? If so, why did they dump the 26 to start with?
Also, I've seen the news clip on the BBC about the SQ situation. Anybody else see it or can vouch for its accuracy? It certainly dosn't make it look like any kind of a picnic over there.
Also, I've seen the news clip on the BBC about the SQ situation. Anybody else see it or can vouch for its accuracy? It certainly dosn't make it look like any kind of a picnic over there.
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Jim M - I don't have access to the hiring and firing numbers so I can't comment on Kader's claims.
For some variety, here's a Business Times article on Kader:
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/s...01607,00.html?
Business Times - 04 Dec 2003
Candidate's memo revs up race for top job in SIA pilots' union
Reinstatement of salary seen among key objectives of Capt Syed's platform
By VEN SREENIVASAN
(SINGAPORE) The buzz is already palpable in the race for the top job in the Singapore Airlines pilots' union.
With the closing date for the election just weeks away, one of the candidates for the presidency of the Airline Pilots Association of Singapore (Alpa-S) - Capt Syed Abdul Kader Alhadad - appears now to be very much the focus of attention.
While he declined to elaborate on a memo he sent to Alpa-S members yesterday, the document - a copy of which was obtained by BT - suggests several elements in his platform.
These are: better communication between the union and SIA management, the upholding of the terms of the wage cuts, and the preservation of the independence of Alpa-S.
Among his key demands to SIA management would be reinstatement of salary that pilots lost through compulsory unpaid leave during the Sars-induced slowdown. He believes there were 'errors' in the manner in which the unpaid leave scheme was implemented and wants management to rectify these.
In the memo that Capt Syed sent to Alpa-S members yesterday, he said: 'The problems that were raised by members could have been handled in a previous council through a proper forum. If we are not happy with the CA (collective agreement) team we could have held the EGM to form a new CA team, and not throw out a fairly good operating council. We must learn to act and work within the system and not at our personal fancies. I definitely do not agree with the way the petition and the EGM was pushed through, but that is water under the bridge.'
Capt Syed is standing against long-time colleague and friend Capt Mok Hin Choon for the top union job. Both men have been with SIA for almost three decades and are Singaporeans.
Capt Mok, who has been with SIA 27 years, indicated his intention to run for the presidency last month. He is no stranger to Alpa-S, having served as president from 1999 to 2000.
He could not be contacted as he was in Melbourne yesterday.
Capt Syed said he had been invited to be part of Capt Mok's team but declined. 'I know Capt Mok very well and he is a gentleman,' he said yesterday. 'But I am standing on a different platform.'
That platform has apparently also become the subject of innuendo, and rumours have started circulating among pilots against Capt Syed.
He is being painted as someone closely allied with the National Trades Union Congress, to which Alpa-S is not affiliated. The NTUC has been critical of the decision by Alpa-S members to sack their entire executive council two weeks ago.
Some pilots think the smear campaign may relate to Capt Syed's opposition to the ousting of the Alpa-S exco last month.
Contacted yesterday, Capt Syed expressed dismay at the turn of events.
'I am very disappointed that this has happened because I came forward with conviction and belief that I could make a difference,' he said. 'But I suppose this is part and parcel of standing for elections.'
In his memo, Capt Syed also referred to his significant experience in collective agreement negotiations during his time in the Flight Engineers Branch of the Singapore Airlines Staff Union, including a stint as chairman for three years in the late 1980s.
Nominations for the 19-member branch committee of Alpa-S close this week, to be followed by voting for all posts from Dec 8-22.
For some variety, here's a Business Times article on Kader:
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/s...01607,00.html?
Business Times - 04 Dec 2003
Candidate's memo revs up race for top job in SIA pilots' union
Reinstatement of salary seen among key objectives of Capt Syed's platform
By VEN SREENIVASAN
(SINGAPORE) The buzz is already palpable in the race for the top job in the Singapore Airlines pilots' union.
With the closing date for the election just weeks away, one of the candidates for the presidency of the Airline Pilots Association of Singapore (Alpa-S) - Capt Syed Abdul Kader Alhadad - appears now to be very much the focus of attention.
While he declined to elaborate on a memo he sent to Alpa-S members yesterday, the document - a copy of which was obtained by BT - suggests several elements in his platform.
These are: better communication between the union and SIA management, the upholding of the terms of the wage cuts, and the preservation of the independence of Alpa-S.
Among his key demands to SIA management would be reinstatement of salary that pilots lost through compulsory unpaid leave during the Sars-induced slowdown. He believes there were 'errors' in the manner in which the unpaid leave scheme was implemented and wants management to rectify these.
In the memo that Capt Syed sent to Alpa-S members yesterday, he said: 'The problems that were raised by members could have been handled in a previous council through a proper forum. If we are not happy with the CA (collective agreement) team we could have held the EGM to form a new CA team, and not throw out a fairly good operating council. We must learn to act and work within the system and not at our personal fancies. I definitely do not agree with the way the petition and the EGM was pushed through, but that is water under the bridge.'
Capt Syed is standing against long-time colleague and friend Capt Mok Hin Choon for the top union job. Both men have been with SIA for almost three decades and are Singaporeans.
Capt Mok, who has been with SIA 27 years, indicated his intention to run for the presidency last month. He is no stranger to Alpa-S, having served as president from 1999 to 2000.
He could not be contacted as he was in Melbourne yesterday.
Capt Syed said he had been invited to be part of Capt Mok's team but declined. 'I know Capt Mok very well and he is a gentleman,' he said yesterday. 'But I am standing on a different platform.'
That platform has apparently also become the subject of innuendo, and rumours have started circulating among pilots against Capt Syed.
He is being painted as someone closely allied with the National Trades Union Congress, to which Alpa-S is not affiliated. The NTUC has been critical of the decision by Alpa-S members to sack their entire executive council two weeks ago.
Some pilots think the smear campaign may relate to Capt Syed's opposition to the ousting of the Alpa-S exco last month.
Contacted yesterday, Capt Syed expressed dismay at the turn of events.
'I am very disappointed that this has happened because I came forward with conviction and belief that I could make a difference,' he said. 'But I suppose this is part and parcel of standing for elections.'
In his memo, Capt Syed also referred to his significant experience in collective agreement negotiations during his time in the Flight Engineers Branch of the Singapore Airlines Staff Union, including a stint as chairman for three years in the late 1980s.
Nominations for the 19-member branch committee of Alpa-S close this week, to be followed by voting for all posts from Dec 8-22.
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I really am surprised that the Singapore Government allows SIA Pilots to actually vote for who they want to have as their representatives to the Alpha-S Council!!!!
As in future they want all decisions to be decided by the council without consulting the membership, then I would have thought they would impose their candidate.??
All SIA Pilots want is the market rate for the job. An Airline that employs large numbers of ex-pats cannot expect to hold people or attract the right people unless they pay the going rate compared to other High Fare and High Cost Airlines, who are the real competitors.
SIA might have to reduce in size and let the LCA do the short haul routes and concentrate on Long Haul. They already have Silk Air which could adapt to the Low Cost Model assuming they can get Pilots on their salary scales!!
As in future they want all decisions to be decided by the council without consulting the membership, then I would have thought they would impose their candidate.??
All SIA Pilots want is the market rate for the job. An Airline that employs large numbers of ex-pats cannot expect to hold people or attract the right people unless they pay the going rate compared to other High Fare and High Cost Airlines, who are the real competitors.
SIA might have to reduce in size and let the LCA do the short haul routes and concentrate on Long Haul. They already have Silk Air which could adapt to the Low Cost Model assuming they can get Pilots on their salary scales!!
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No elections needed for council members - it's a walkover.
Thank you ALPA-S for posting the names of the incoming council members. Much better than having to hear it on the news.
Suffice to say no sign of Freddie or the Chrome Dome.
This is what CNA has to say:
Too few nominees for SIA pilots' union council, so no election necessary
04 December 2003 1928 hrs (SST)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori.../60452/1/.html
SINGAPORE: There won't be an election to chose the members of the pilots' union council. Nominations have closed, there aren't even enough nominees. Only 17 pilots have come forward to serve on the council of the pilots' union - four short of the 21 seats available so there won't even be an election for these posts.
The union has recently been on the receiving end of harsh warning by Government Ministers for their confrontational approach to labour relations.
But even though there are so few nominees, not all may get in.
It's understood that among the 17 who have thrown in their hat, are several foreigners with PR status.
Foreigners have to get approval from the Manpower Ministry before they are allowed to serve as union leaders.
Just last week, the Manpower Ministry rescinded approval for two Malaysian pilots with Singapore PR who were on the pilots' union council that was booted out.
It's understood they have not re-applied. But two other Singaporeans from the outgoing exco have come forward to serve again.
So as it stands, only the post of pilot union president is being contested. - CNA
Thank you ALPA-S for posting the names of the incoming council members. Much better than having to hear it on the news.
Suffice to say no sign of Freddie or the Chrome Dome.
This is what CNA has to say:
Too few nominees for SIA pilots' union council, so no election necessary
04 December 2003 1928 hrs (SST)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori.../60452/1/.html
SINGAPORE: There won't be an election to chose the members of the pilots' union council. Nominations have closed, there aren't even enough nominees. Only 17 pilots have come forward to serve on the council of the pilots' union - four short of the 21 seats available so there won't even be an election for these posts.
The union has recently been on the receiving end of harsh warning by Government Ministers for their confrontational approach to labour relations.
But even though there are so few nominees, not all may get in.
It's understood that among the 17 who have thrown in their hat, are several foreigners with PR status.
Foreigners have to get approval from the Manpower Ministry before they are allowed to serve as union leaders.
Just last week, the Manpower Ministry rescinded approval for two Malaysian pilots with Singapore PR who were on the pilots' union council that was booted out.
It's understood they have not re-applied. But two other Singaporeans from the outgoing exco have come forward to serve again.
So as it stands, only the post of pilot union president is being contested. - CNA
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This article appeared in the Today Paper. An interestingly candid piece :
No direct URL - just look at the last item...
Today Article
New leaders could still face old problems
Alpa-S chiefs will face members' ire if they reach an unpopular deal with SIA
Friday • December 5, 2003
I REFER to the move to amend the Trade Unions Act, which has a direct impact on how the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S) operates.
Though its new leadership can negotiate as it pleases and deems fit with the management of Singapore Airlines (SIA), I believe it will still feel the wrath and displeasure of a majority of its member pilots, should it ink a deal which they do not agree to.
In other words, the facade may have changed, but the substance still remains. The new leaders would then realise that their positions and their daily work relationships still depend on the goodwill of their colleagues.
Would they not take on a confrontational position any way to safeguard their positions and prevent being voted out in an extraordinary general meeting or at the next annual general meeting; or worse, encounter an uncomfortable and cold work environment?
As long as the leaders are elected democratically, they know they have to answer to their members, as they do have to work with their electorate most of the time on a daily basis.
The tension between the pilots and SIA will not be resolved by changing a law. While I agree that any damage to SIA would damage Singapore's image, its economy and ultimately me, let us also see further ahead.
Are pilots all over the world so difficult to please? Are they literally high-fliers and high earners so their grievances are those of a spoilt child?
Or are their complaints worthy of consideration, because taken in the context of their irregular work hours, their situation cannot be compared to the usual eight-hour employee?
If this is not resolved, we will see the pilots bickering still and taking on SIA at every turn, whether it is a bad economy or for some other reason.
News will eventually go out, if it has not already, that pilots in Singapore are always unhappy with SIA and many foreign pilots may even get the impression that pilots in Singapore are treated badly. That cannot be good for SIA's image.
Even if in a lightning move, all SIA pilots are fired during a protracted dispute in a game of chicken, would other pilots — barring the desperate and inexperienced — knowing the existing deep-seated unhappiness, step voluntarily into the fire and take up the vacant jobs?
Will the image of SIA be that of a glamorous airline but a terrible and uncaring employer? Frankly, even to a Singaporean, it seems that way.
SIA's silence on how to deal with such unhappiness, that is if it wants to, is more damaging than the pilots' anger.
No direct URL - just look at the last item...
Today Article
New leaders could still face old problems
Alpa-S chiefs will face members' ire if they reach an unpopular deal with SIA
Friday • December 5, 2003
I REFER to the move to amend the Trade Unions Act, which has a direct impact on how the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S) operates.
Though its new leadership can negotiate as it pleases and deems fit with the management of Singapore Airlines (SIA), I believe it will still feel the wrath and displeasure of a majority of its member pilots, should it ink a deal which they do not agree to.
In other words, the facade may have changed, but the substance still remains. The new leaders would then realise that their positions and their daily work relationships still depend on the goodwill of their colleagues.
Would they not take on a confrontational position any way to safeguard their positions and prevent being voted out in an extraordinary general meeting or at the next annual general meeting; or worse, encounter an uncomfortable and cold work environment?
As long as the leaders are elected democratically, they know they have to answer to their members, as they do have to work with their electorate most of the time on a daily basis.
The tension between the pilots and SIA will not be resolved by changing a law. While I agree that any damage to SIA would damage Singapore's image, its economy and ultimately me, let us also see further ahead.
Are pilots all over the world so difficult to please? Are they literally high-fliers and high earners so their grievances are those of a spoilt child?
Or are their complaints worthy of consideration, because taken in the context of their irregular work hours, their situation cannot be compared to the usual eight-hour employee?
If this is not resolved, we will see the pilots bickering still and taking on SIA at every turn, whether it is a bad economy or for some other reason.
News will eventually go out, if it has not already, that pilots in Singapore are always unhappy with SIA and many foreign pilots may even get the impression that pilots in Singapore are treated badly. That cannot be good for SIA's image.
Even if in a lightning move, all SIA pilots are fired during a protracted dispute in a game of chicken, would other pilots — barring the desperate and inexperienced — knowing the existing deep-seated unhappiness, step voluntarily into the fire and take up the vacant jobs?
Will the image of SIA be that of a glamorous airline but a terrible and uncaring employer? Frankly, even to a Singaporean, it seems that way.
SIA's silence on how to deal with such unhappiness, that is if it wants to, is more damaging than the pilots' anger.
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D&G, here's da link...
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/11087.asp
Feel free to cut and paste it into your post.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/11087.asp
Feel free to cut and paste it into your post.
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millerscourt
Your observation, whilst tongue in cheek, has the ring of absolute reality when applied to the Alice in Wonderland world of Singapore and Singapore Airlines – the latter a partly owned and wholly controlled subsidiary of Lee & Son (Pte) Ltd, majority shareholder of the former enterprise.
It would seem to be entirely possible that Captain Syed Abdul Kader Alhadad, who has recently popped up from nowhere, could be the regime’s imposed candidate, introduced in the customary oblique manner of the much vaunted Asian values and masquerading as the pilots’ saviour in the face of an imminent return to the “confrontational” ancien regime of Mok and Co.
Captain Kader’s presented credentials indicate that he was in the Flight Engineers Branch of the Singapore Airlines Staff Union during which time he included a three year stint as chairman in the late 1980’s. The Staff Union, of course, was then and still is, affiliated to the NTUC and hence neatly corralled by the Ministry of Manpower in its operating capacity as ringmaster to the cosy Singapore “tripartite” system of “arrangement” between government, employers and employee associations. Needless to say, it is entirely within the bounds of possibility that a new and compliant Alpa-S President, with former extensive NTUC links, in a newly legislated environment that has abolished individual Alpa-S members’ voting rights, could decide on the members’ behalves that affiliation with NTUC was in everyone’s best interest. Without wishing to draw everyone a series of pictures, the forgoing would appear to be an elegant solution to the ongoing irritant of a truly independent (though fearful) pilots’ association, continually prodding the flanks of an increasingly cantankerous dynamic duo.
Of which duo, the senior member recently mentioned that SIA would have to devote more attention to its management of human resources. Presumably this was a spur to the redoubtable Mr Loh, Senior Vice President Human Resources, SIA and, entirely coincidentally, PAP MP for one of the larger GRC’s. It remains unclear the extent of Mr Loh’s former HR experience and training as, indeed, it remains similarly unclear the extent of his past airline management experience. However, Mr Loh has had the aptitude to unilaterally and without any form of consultation whatsoever, wind up the SIA Provident Fund, as a “cost saving measure” and so deprive the eligible pilot membership of a further 10% of their remuneration. Resulting unreasonable squawks have been presented, I’m told, as further examples of pilots believing they’re special. They’ve got huge egos, apparently!
And finally, whilst alluding to misrepresentation of actuality, it’s amusing to note the Singapore Transport Minister’s laboured attempts to extrapolate an EU and US open skies regulatory framework to that of the highly regulated asian theatre when presenting the bogey of the dreaded buget airlines, aka the low cost carriers (LCC) laying waste to SIA’s profit profile. It was similarly interesting to note the central message of Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, on BBC Hard Talk, that the only environment in which an LCC could start up and survive was an open skies one. Perhaps we could have some accurate information as to when this arcadian state of affairs will come about within the region?
Your observation, whilst tongue in cheek, has the ring of absolute reality when applied to the Alice in Wonderland world of Singapore and Singapore Airlines – the latter a partly owned and wholly controlled subsidiary of Lee & Son (Pte) Ltd, majority shareholder of the former enterprise.
It would seem to be entirely possible that Captain Syed Abdul Kader Alhadad, who has recently popped up from nowhere, could be the regime’s imposed candidate, introduced in the customary oblique manner of the much vaunted Asian values and masquerading as the pilots’ saviour in the face of an imminent return to the “confrontational” ancien regime of Mok and Co.
Captain Kader’s presented credentials indicate that he was in the Flight Engineers Branch of the Singapore Airlines Staff Union during which time he included a three year stint as chairman in the late 1980’s. The Staff Union, of course, was then and still is, affiliated to the NTUC and hence neatly corralled by the Ministry of Manpower in its operating capacity as ringmaster to the cosy Singapore “tripartite” system of “arrangement” between government, employers and employee associations. Needless to say, it is entirely within the bounds of possibility that a new and compliant Alpa-S President, with former extensive NTUC links, in a newly legislated environment that has abolished individual Alpa-S members’ voting rights, could decide on the members’ behalves that affiliation with NTUC was in everyone’s best interest. Without wishing to draw everyone a series of pictures, the forgoing would appear to be an elegant solution to the ongoing irritant of a truly independent (though fearful) pilots’ association, continually prodding the flanks of an increasingly cantankerous dynamic duo.
Of which duo, the senior member recently mentioned that SIA would have to devote more attention to its management of human resources. Presumably this was a spur to the redoubtable Mr Loh, Senior Vice President Human Resources, SIA and, entirely coincidentally, PAP MP for one of the larger GRC’s. It remains unclear the extent of Mr Loh’s former HR experience and training as, indeed, it remains similarly unclear the extent of his past airline management experience. However, Mr Loh has had the aptitude to unilaterally and without any form of consultation whatsoever, wind up the SIA Provident Fund, as a “cost saving measure” and so deprive the eligible pilot membership of a further 10% of their remuneration. Resulting unreasonable squawks have been presented, I’m told, as further examples of pilots believing they’re special. They’ve got huge egos, apparently!
And finally, whilst alluding to misrepresentation of actuality, it’s amusing to note the Singapore Transport Minister’s laboured attempts to extrapolate an EU and US open skies regulatory framework to that of the highly regulated asian theatre when presenting the bogey of the dreaded buget airlines, aka the low cost carriers (LCC) laying waste to SIA’s profit profile. It was similarly interesting to note the central message of Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, on BBC Hard Talk, that the only environment in which an LCC could start up and survive was an open skies one. Perhaps we could have some accurate information as to when this arcadian state of affairs will come about within the region?
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Business Times makes public the ALPA-S nominees...
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/s...01741,00.html?
Business Times - 05 Dec 2003
SIA pilots nominate 3 non-citizens for council
Two Malaysians and an Indian national are all PRs
By VEN SREENIVASAN
(SINGAPORE) Singapore Airlines pilots have nominated three non-citizens for membership to their incoming executive council - after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) rescinded approval for two non-citizens to sit on the outgoing council.
Two Malaysians and one Indian national - all permanent residents - are among 17 nominees.
The Malaysians are First Officer Viswanathan Ramasamy and Captain Park George Howard, and the Indian national is First Officer Srihari Vaidun, according to a list obtained by BT.
Given that the 17 names fall short of the 19 spots available, all the nominees are expected to be voted to sit on the council when the members of the Air Line Pilots Association of Singapore (Alpa-S) meet on Dec 22 - assuming that MOM approves the three foreigners.
MOM recently rescinded approval for two non-citizens who sat on the council that was ousted by members unhappy with the way it handled wage negotiations. They are currently serving in a caretaker capacity until a new council is formed. The rescission notice was sent on Monday.
Alpa-S will seek MOM's nod for the new nominees.
'No elections are required as there are only 17 names nominated,' said spokesman Capt P James. 'The honorary secretary of Alpa-S is in the process of forwarding the names to the ministry for approval.'
Under Section 30 of Trade Unions Act, unions have to provide a list of changes in officials to the Registrar of Trade Unions at MOM within seven days of their election or appointment. Non-citizens have to be approved by the Minister for Manpower.
What if approval is not given for the three non-citizens nominated for the new council? 'I guess Alpa-S will have to manage with what they've got,' Capt James said.
According to the list obtained by BT, the other 14 nominees are Joseph Chern, Chew Choong Cheong, Dave Lai, Gerard Ee, Kuan Swee Heng, Lee Boon Hup, Lee Leong, Victor Lim, Lim Lu Chih, Alfonsus Low, Nicholas Han, Tan Ooi Mien, Randall Tang and Teng Beng Piow.
Meanwhile, the election for the presidency of the union will go ahead up to Dec 19, with two candidates - Capt Syed Abdul Kader Alhadad and Capt Mok Hin Choon - battling for the post.
Capt Syed is standing on a platform of better communications between the union and SIA management, upholding the terms of the wage cuts and preserving of the independence of Alpa-S.
Capt Mok, who arrived from Melbourne on Wednesday night, is yet to present his manifesto. He could not be contacted yesterday.
Both Capt Syed and Capt Mok, who are SIA veterans, have support bases among pilots.
http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/s...01741,00.html?
Business Times - 05 Dec 2003
SIA pilots nominate 3 non-citizens for council
Two Malaysians and an Indian national are all PRs
By VEN SREENIVASAN
(SINGAPORE) Singapore Airlines pilots have nominated three non-citizens for membership to their incoming executive council - after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) rescinded approval for two non-citizens to sit on the outgoing council.
Two Malaysians and one Indian national - all permanent residents - are among 17 nominees.
The Malaysians are First Officer Viswanathan Ramasamy and Captain Park George Howard, and the Indian national is First Officer Srihari Vaidun, according to a list obtained by BT.
Given that the 17 names fall short of the 19 spots available, all the nominees are expected to be voted to sit on the council when the members of the Air Line Pilots Association of Singapore (Alpa-S) meet on Dec 22 - assuming that MOM approves the three foreigners.
MOM recently rescinded approval for two non-citizens who sat on the council that was ousted by members unhappy with the way it handled wage negotiations. They are currently serving in a caretaker capacity until a new council is formed. The rescission notice was sent on Monday.
Alpa-S will seek MOM's nod for the new nominees.
'No elections are required as there are only 17 names nominated,' said spokesman Capt P James. 'The honorary secretary of Alpa-S is in the process of forwarding the names to the ministry for approval.'
Under Section 30 of Trade Unions Act, unions have to provide a list of changes in officials to the Registrar of Trade Unions at MOM within seven days of their election or appointment. Non-citizens have to be approved by the Minister for Manpower.
What if approval is not given for the three non-citizens nominated for the new council? 'I guess Alpa-S will have to manage with what they've got,' Capt James said.
According to the list obtained by BT, the other 14 nominees are Joseph Chern, Chew Choong Cheong, Dave Lai, Gerard Ee, Kuan Swee Heng, Lee Boon Hup, Lee Leong, Victor Lim, Lim Lu Chih, Alfonsus Low, Nicholas Han, Tan Ooi Mien, Randall Tang and Teng Beng Piow.
Meanwhile, the election for the presidency of the union will go ahead up to Dec 19, with two candidates - Capt Syed Abdul Kader Alhadad and Capt Mok Hin Choon - battling for the post.
Capt Syed is standing on a platform of better communications between the union and SIA management, upholding the terms of the wage cuts and preserving of the independence of Alpa-S.
Capt Mok, who arrived from Melbourne on Wednesday night, is yet to present his manifesto. He could not be contacted yesterday.
Both Capt Syed and Capt Mok, who are SIA veterans, have support bases among pilots.
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jstars2 - perhaps this article may give you some idea...
Excerpts from the Lee Kuan Yew School Of Airline Management...
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sto...23198,00.html?
DEC 3, 2003
SM: Govt can't let pilots have their way
Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew issued a stern warning to Singapore Airlines pilots on Monday that the Government will not allow them to go slow or work-to-rule, which would damage the airline's reputation and cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in losses in a matter of months. He made the remarks in a speech and a question-and-answer session at the Global Branding Forum. He also spoke about his style of governing compared to that of the younger ministers and the branding of Singapore. We reproduce excerpts:
RIGHT at this moment, we're having a little problem with our pilots.
Because of Sars, Singapore Airlines lost a few hundred million dollars that quarter. They persuaded, with the help of the Ministry of Manpower, the unions - not just the pilots' union but the five unions across the board in SIA - to take pay cuts, adjust work schedules and generally trim down.
But the second quarter, July to September, they showed a profit. Whereupon the pilots say: 'We've been taken for a ride.' They sack the committee.
But they approved it and this is just the first glimmer of recovery in an industry that's facing very grave challenges.
No one can say how mainline carriers will fare in the next one, two years. Budget carriers are coming into Asia and it's a matter of time before they pose the same challenge to mainline carriers as they do in America and now increasingly in Europe.
But the pilots' union is not interested in that. They just say: 'You squeezed us when the going was bad, now we want it back.'
Well, we're not going to have that. Both management at SIA and the pilots' union, and all the unions in SIA, know that when the Government decides that its industrial relations is a key factor in its progress, in its economic well-being, and it says no, it means no.
And if they're confrontational, then either the union gives way or the union is able to knock the Government down.
Now in Europe, when Air France goes on strike, sometimes the minister has to resign or Air France management has to make adjustments.
I can assure you that in Singapore, when we decide that they are breaking the rules of the game, the unspoken rules as to how we survive, how we have prospered, then either their head is broken or our bones are broken.
And when that is understood, we then talk sense.
I come back to the pilots. They're a special breed. The pilots know that the company has spent half a million or three-quarters of a million dollars training a person to fly a 747.
So, it's a capital-intensive industry and if they decide to go slow or walk out, then all that capital is just going to lie frozen on the ground.
So after the Sars debacle, SIA lost money for the first time in its history, they accepted the pay cuts, no-pay leave, certain adjustments in work schedules with a proviso that if SIA makes money, as it makes money it will restore all its cuts.
And it goes up to 115 per cent of what was taken away if it proves to be as successful as last year.
When - after settling this and voting in favour of the executive committee saying, 'yes, we support this' - SIA makes $300 million in one quarter, they decide 'We'll sack the committee, we're going to take over. This collective agreement ends in a few months, we're going to be tough'.
If we sit back, and SIA has had troubles with the pilots for a long time, as I've said, they think they're special, they've got huge egos, I'm told.
So, for instance, when SIA changes first-class seats to totally flat reclining seats and so there are fewer first-class seats. I think now the first-class cabin, from my recollection, has only about 12 seats when there used to be 16 or 18 seats.
The captains were allowed, when they were resting, to take a first-class seat which could recline.
But now, there are not enough first-class seats. The company says: 'We will pay you the difference.' No, they want the first-class seat. In other words, there'll be fewer than 12 passengers if you have two being used by pilots.
We know that, if we allow this to go on, there'll be a go-slow, there'll be some work-to-rule and we'll get the Cathay Pacific situation.
Now you can have that in Hong Kong. You're not going to have that in Singapore. I will not allow that because I literally decided, in the early days, that I will preserve this potential business for Singapore.
We had Malayan Airways, which was based here. When we joined Malaysia, we became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, a joint airline.
Then they decided they wanted to go off on their own so we built up workshops in Kuala Lumpur so they could go off.
And from that moment, way back in the 1960s, we built ourselves up as an international airline because, where were we going to fly to? From Changi Airport to Sembawang Airport, to Seletar, to Paya Lebar?
So we had to go international or nothing.
Today, with our population of three million - plus another one million foreigners, it's four million - we are carrying the loads of Australia, with a population of 20 million, or for that matter, many other airlines.
In other words, we're carrying other people's passengers. There's no catchment here.
You do that because your service is not only safe, it's not only reliable, but it is exceptionally good.
This is a service industry. You have stewards or stewardesses or pilots playing work-to-rule, you lose that cachet. So we are telling them, both management and unions, 'you play this game, there are going to be broken heads'. Let's stop it.
They know what this is all about. We are not fools. We know what the management knows. We know the union side too because we've got unionists on our side and we are going to solve this before it gets troublesome and solve it we will.
If we sit back and do nothing and allow this to escalate and test the wills, then it is going to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in one, two, three months of nastiness. We are not going to have that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I belong to the old school. I believe that it is better to be feared than to be loved. My younger colleagues sometimes want to be both.
I decided a long time ago that popularity is something volatile. They feel good, they get their bonuses, you're popular.
They are squeezed, there's a recession, you're blamed for it, your stocks go down. And the key is not to hold an election when people are not feeling good.
I do not believe that popular government means you have to be popular when you govern. I think the best thing to do is to do all the unpopular things when you are governing so that at the end of your term, you have the choice of a date when you feel that they will be most grateful that you've done all these unpopular things and they vote for you.
I don't know about branding. I do know that you need a good reputation, not just outside Singapore but within Singapore, with your own people.
This is a place that works, that must work and continue to work because it is based on principles. And the first principle is nobody owes us a living.
Excerpts from the Lee Kuan Yew School Of Airline Management...
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sto...23198,00.html?
DEC 3, 2003
SM: Govt can't let pilots have their way
Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew issued a stern warning to Singapore Airlines pilots on Monday that the Government will not allow them to go slow or work-to-rule, which would damage the airline's reputation and cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in losses in a matter of months. He made the remarks in a speech and a question-and-answer session at the Global Branding Forum. He also spoke about his style of governing compared to that of the younger ministers and the branding of Singapore. We reproduce excerpts:
RIGHT at this moment, we're having a little problem with our pilots.
Because of Sars, Singapore Airlines lost a few hundred million dollars that quarter. They persuaded, with the help of the Ministry of Manpower, the unions - not just the pilots' union but the five unions across the board in SIA - to take pay cuts, adjust work schedules and generally trim down.
But the second quarter, July to September, they showed a profit. Whereupon the pilots say: 'We've been taken for a ride.' They sack the committee.
But they approved it and this is just the first glimmer of recovery in an industry that's facing very grave challenges.
No one can say how mainline carriers will fare in the next one, two years. Budget carriers are coming into Asia and it's a matter of time before they pose the same challenge to mainline carriers as they do in America and now increasingly in Europe.
But the pilots' union is not interested in that. They just say: 'You squeezed us when the going was bad, now we want it back.'
Well, we're not going to have that. Both management at SIA and the pilots' union, and all the unions in SIA, know that when the Government decides that its industrial relations is a key factor in its progress, in its economic well-being, and it says no, it means no.
And if they're confrontational, then either the union gives way or the union is able to knock the Government down.
Now in Europe, when Air France goes on strike, sometimes the minister has to resign or Air France management has to make adjustments.
I can assure you that in Singapore, when we decide that they are breaking the rules of the game, the unspoken rules as to how we survive, how we have prospered, then either their head is broken or our bones are broken.
And when that is understood, we then talk sense.
I come back to the pilots. They're a special breed. The pilots know that the company has spent half a million or three-quarters of a million dollars training a person to fly a 747.
So, it's a capital-intensive industry and if they decide to go slow or walk out, then all that capital is just going to lie frozen on the ground.
So after the Sars debacle, SIA lost money for the first time in its history, they accepted the pay cuts, no-pay leave, certain adjustments in work schedules with a proviso that if SIA makes money, as it makes money it will restore all its cuts.
And it goes up to 115 per cent of what was taken away if it proves to be as successful as last year.
When - after settling this and voting in favour of the executive committee saying, 'yes, we support this' - SIA makes $300 million in one quarter, they decide 'We'll sack the committee, we're going to take over. This collective agreement ends in a few months, we're going to be tough'.
If we sit back, and SIA has had troubles with the pilots for a long time, as I've said, they think they're special, they've got huge egos, I'm told.
So, for instance, when SIA changes first-class seats to totally flat reclining seats and so there are fewer first-class seats. I think now the first-class cabin, from my recollection, has only about 12 seats when there used to be 16 or 18 seats.
The captains were allowed, when they were resting, to take a first-class seat which could recline.
But now, there are not enough first-class seats. The company says: 'We will pay you the difference.' No, they want the first-class seat. In other words, there'll be fewer than 12 passengers if you have two being used by pilots.
We know that, if we allow this to go on, there'll be a go-slow, there'll be some work-to-rule and we'll get the Cathay Pacific situation.
Now you can have that in Hong Kong. You're not going to have that in Singapore. I will not allow that because I literally decided, in the early days, that I will preserve this potential business for Singapore.
We had Malayan Airways, which was based here. When we joined Malaysia, we became Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, a joint airline.
Then they decided they wanted to go off on their own so we built up workshops in Kuala Lumpur so they could go off.
And from that moment, way back in the 1960s, we built ourselves up as an international airline because, where were we going to fly to? From Changi Airport to Sembawang Airport, to Seletar, to Paya Lebar?
So we had to go international or nothing.
Today, with our population of three million - plus another one million foreigners, it's four million - we are carrying the loads of Australia, with a population of 20 million, or for that matter, many other airlines.
In other words, we're carrying other people's passengers. There's no catchment here.
You do that because your service is not only safe, it's not only reliable, but it is exceptionally good.
This is a service industry. You have stewards or stewardesses or pilots playing work-to-rule, you lose that cachet. So we are telling them, both management and unions, 'you play this game, there are going to be broken heads'. Let's stop it.
They know what this is all about. We are not fools. We know what the management knows. We know the union side too because we've got unionists on our side and we are going to solve this before it gets troublesome and solve it we will.
If we sit back and do nothing and allow this to escalate and test the wills, then it is going to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in one, two, three months of nastiness. We are not going to have that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I belong to the old school. I believe that it is better to be feared than to be loved. My younger colleagues sometimes want to be both.
I decided a long time ago that popularity is something volatile. They feel good, they get their bonuses, you're popular.
They are squeezed, there's a recession, you're blamed for it, your stocks go down. And the key is not to hold an election when people are not feeling good.
I do not believe that popular government means you have to be popular when you govern. I think the best thing to do is to do all the unpopular things when you are governing so that at the end of your term, you have the choice of a date when you feel that they will be most grateful that you've done all these unpopular things and they vote for you.
I don't know about branding. I do know that you need a good reputation, not just outside Singapore but within Singapore, with your own people.
This is a place that works, that must work and continue to work because it is based on principles. And the first principle is nobody owes us a living.
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The dynamic duo to which I refer, is, of course, that of the venerable and gothic creation of the cinematographer’s past art, Papman and Robin, the fearless fighters from Gotham of special cases and huge egos.
One has only to imagine the scene within the Pap Cave during dinner, joined by Robin’s perennial partner, Temasek Rose:
Robin: “Gee Pop, those pesky pilots produce the perfect pickle to a profitable portfolio.”
Papman: “Holy conflicts of interest Robin, pass us the procedure per these perfidious pilots Rose.”
Temasek Rose: “ Precisely Papman, purloin their paltry pay packets and perk the profit profile of the portfolio.”
Robin: “Holy NTUC Pop, that’s potentially punitive of a putative PM. When can I precipitate the pilots’ partition?”
One has only to imagine the scene within the Pap Cave during dinner, joined by Robin’s perennial partner, Temasek Rose:
Robin: “Gee Pop, those pesky pilots produce the perfect pickle to a profitable portfolio.”
Papman: “Holy conflicts of interest Robin, pass us the procedure per these perfidious pilots Rose.”
Temasek Rose: “ Precisely Papman, purloin their paltry pay packets and perk the profit profile of the portfolio.”
Robin: “Holy NTUC Pop, that’s potentially punitive of a putative PM. When can I precipitate the pilots’ partition?”
Last edited by Insider107; 5th Dec 2003 at 18:02.
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SM Lee, DEC 3, 2003
“But now, there are not enough first-class seats. The company says: 'We will pay you the difference.' No, they want the first-class seat. In other words, there'll be fewer than 12 passengers if you have two being used by pilots.”
Err, up to a point Lord Copper. Could the SM have become a little confused as to the actual detail of the situation and not realized that the seats at issue were in fact the far more numerous Business Class seats. Still we don’t want inconvenient facts spoiling a colourful speech, do we?
“But now, there are not enough first-class seats. The company says: 'We will pay you the difference.' No, they want the first-class seat. In other words, there'll be fewer than 12 passengers if you have two being used by pilots.”
Err, up to a point Lord Copper. Could the SM have become a little confused as to the actual detail of the situation and not realized that the seats at issue were in fact the far more numerous Business Class seats. Still we don’t want inconvenient facts spoiling a colourful speech, do we?
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The Straits Times Editor must have made a mistake letting this one through
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/for...23899,00.html?
Give SIA pilots some credit
I REFER to the article, 'Govt acting to prevent 'broken heads' at SIA' (ST, Dec 2), and the comments made by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
I have tremendous respect for SM Lee and have noted how he had personally seen to the growth and development of Singapore Airlines. I also applaud the Government's decision to improve working relations between SIA management and the pilots' union.
However, I feel strongly that SM Lee's remarks might be misplaced when he commented that pilots think they are 'a special breed' and how he was told 'they have got huge egos'.
It was only a few months ago that SM Lee praised with much emotion how SIA swiftly and efficiently responded to his call to bring Mrs Lee home from Britain, shortly after she suffered a stroke.
My son-in-law, a young co-pilot, has been with SIA for almost four years and I would like to point out to SM Lee that it was people like him and his colleagues and their team of cabin crew who flew Mrs Lee home.
I understand from my son-in-law that due to the nature of the medical emergency, pilots had to immerse themselves in careful flight planning and fuel management prior to the flight because of increased oxygen requirements.
Also, the safe manoeuvring of the aircraft to avoid poor weather conditions and air turbulence was vital to Mrs Lee's comfort and safety during the 13-hour journey.
The pilots and the crew had to stay alert and vigilant in case of an emergency so that the passengers might rest easy. At the end of the day, with the job done, the flight crew did not ask for any recognition. To them, it was part of their job. They saw themselves as having a 'huge responsibility' to the travelling public - and our leaders who travel with them - as opposed to having a 'huge ego'. I applaud their professionalism in carrying out their duties.
In every profession, there are sacrifices to be made and different sacrifices are made in different professions. It takes two to three years of vigorous training - during which trainee pilots receive meagre wages - to be a confirmed and operational airline pilot in SIA.
They spend what little time they have at home, making up for lost time with their families.
They fly to and stay in sometimes-treacherous places, where terrorist acts and natural disasters are not uncommon, so that our citizens may find their way home.
They are constantly scrutinised and tested by the aviation authorities to ensure that they are well versed in emergency procedures. A single mistake could cost them their entire career.
These are sacrifices that only a very small number of people are prepared to undertake. Pilots take on the job because they want to provide a good life for their family.
SM Lee cited pilots defending their right to be seated in Business Class during their rest period as an example of their belief that they are a special breed.
The way I see it, pilots defending their rights as stated in the terms of the collective agreement are no different from our leaders challenging Malaysia's bid to raise the price of water, contrary to the water agreements. As our Foreign Minister so aptly put it during his speech in Parliament, 'the sanctity of all agreements must be upheld'.
I agree with the Government that this issue must be resolved quickly and that confrontational approaches should be discouraged. However, one must question the events that led to this incident and it will not be difficult to see why the pilots are unhappy.
Let's not start labelling SIA pilots. They deserve some credit for the job that they do and our leaders should take the first step.
Name and address supplied
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/for...23899,00.html?
Give SIA pilots some credit
I REFER to the article, 'Govt acting to prevent 'broken heads' at SIA' (ST, Dec 2), and the comments made by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
I have tremendous respect for SM Lee and have noted how he had personally seen to the growth and development of Singapore Airlines. I also applaud the Government's decision to improve working relations between SIA management and the pilots' union.
However, I feel strongly that SM Lee's remarks might be misplaced when he commented that pilots think they are 'a special breed' and how he was told 'they have got huge egos'.
It was only a few months ago that SM Lee praised with much emotion how SIA swiftly and efficiently responded to his call to bring Mrs Lee home from Britain, shortly after she suffered a stroke.
My son-in-law, a young co-pilot, has been with SIA for almost four years and I would like to point out to SM Lee that it was people like him and his colleagues and their team of cabin crew who flew Mrs Lee home.
I understand from my son-in-law that due to the nature of the medical emergency, pilots had to immerse themselves in careful flight planning and fuel management prior to the flight because of increased oxygen requirements.
Also, the safe manoeuvring of the aircraft to avoid poor weather conditions and air turbulence was vital to Mrs Lee's comfort and safety during the 13-hour journey.
The pilots and the crew had to stay alert and vigilant in case of an emergency so that the passengers might rest easy. At the end of the day, with the job done, the flight crew did not ask for any recognition. To them, it was part of their job. They saw themselves as having a 'huge responsibility' to the travelling public - and our leaders who travel with them - as opposed to having a 'huge ego'. I applaud their professionalism in carrying out their duties.
In every profession, there are sacrifices to be made and different sacrifices are made in different professions. It takes two to three years of vigorous training - during which trainee pilots receive meagre wages - to be a confirmed and operational airline pilot in SIA.
They spend what little time they have at home, making up for lost time with their families.
They fly to and stay in sometimes-treacherous places, where terrorist acts and natural disasters are not uncommon, so that our citizens may find their way home.
They are constantly scrutinised and tested by the aviation authorities to ensure that they are well versed in emergency procedures. A single mistake could cost them their entire career.
These are sacrifices that only a very small number of people are prepared to undertake. Pilots take on the job because they want to provide a good life for their family.
SM Lee cited pilots defending their right to be seated in Business Class during their rest period as an example of their belief that they are a special breed.
The way I see it, pilots defending their rights as stated in the terms of the collective agreement are no different from our leaders challenging Malaysia's bid to raise the price of water, contrary to the water agreements. As our Foreign Minister so aptly put it during his speech in Parliament, 'the sanctity of all agreements must be upheld'.
I agree with the Government that this issue must be resolved quickly and that confrontational approaches should be discouraged. However, one must question the events that led to this incident and it will not be difficult to see why the pilots are unhappy.
Let's not start labelling SIA pilots. They deserve some credit for the job that they do and our leaders should take the first step.
Name and address supplied
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Whilst recently passing a happy half hour in the dentist’s waiting room, I came across the article below, published in a British magazine I won’t name, for fear of it being banned in Singapore:
Letter from Singapore
From Our Own Correspondent
There are countries where the people in charge have to take responsibility for the mess they make. Singapore, where times have been particularly tough in recent years, isn’t one of them.
First came the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s. Then the terrorist attacks of 11 September hit our tourism sector, which was given a second body blow by the outbreak of SARS. Unemployment and GDP are worsening while rates for utilities, public transport and our Goods and Services Tax (GST) are all increasing.
Now we learn that the payments our employers make into the Central Provident Fund (CPF) – which is used to pay for our mortgages, medical bills and retirement – are also to be slashed in a bid to make Singapore more competitive for employers. Many of us wonder how we’ll make ends meet.
By contrast, the fat cats in government have no such worries. In a country where the average annual salary is US$15,500, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong earns a healthy US$600,000 – more than George W. Bush or Tony Blair. Not bad in a country the size of your Isle of Wight with a population of just four million.
Many of us grumble privately that we’re having to shoulder the burden of economic reforms as Singapore tries to compete with cheaper upstarts such as India and China, while our politicians live the high life. But rumbling is about all we can do. We’ve been ruled by the People’s Action Party (PAP) continuously since 1959 and are managed with an iron rod by our founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, and his entourage.
We do have opposition MPs but they are a rare and some would say fool hardy breed. J.B. Jeyaretnam, for example, the former secretary-general of the tiny opposition Workers’ Party of Singapore, has had seven defamation actions brought against him by Prime Minister Goh since 1997, thereby bankrupting him. This meant he lost his seat in parliament and his licence to practice law.
So we tend not to grumble too loudly. And even if we were to grumble loudly, it’s unlikely the Lee dynasty’s grip on power might end any time soon. When Lee Kuan Yew “retired” as PM in 1990, he established a new position of Senior Minister for himself. This influential advisory cabinet post enables Lee to pull the strings from the sidelines. Now his handpicked successor, Prime Minister Goh, has announced that he is planning to retire and will soon hand power over to …. Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew’s son, whom most of us dislike. A recent unofficial online poll – “If you could vote for the next Prime Minister, it would be…..” revealed that just 12 percent of us voted for Lee younger.
It also looks as though the two Lees will be in power simultaneously. We had expected Lee the elder to step down so Prime Minister Goh could take up the Senior Minister’s job. But the octogenarian has other ideas. Lee, who once said he would rise from the grave to sort out any problems that might emerge in Singapore after his death, has announced that he intends to stay in public life as long as he is fit.
“I will retire from office when I am no longer able to contribute to the government,” he said in an interview with the Straits Times recently. “You don’t have to tell me. I can feel it when I am no longer making a contribution.”
Should the elder Lee remain Senior Minister while his son is Prime Minister, between them they would occupy the two top government posts in one of the richest nations in Southeast Asia. To tighten the Lee family’s stranglehold further, Lee junior’s wife, Ho Ching, is head of Temasek Holdings, a state investment firm that controls many of our leading companies such as Singapore Airlines and Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel). Talk about keeping it in the family! It could in fact be that cozy couple who are strangling the pilots in SIA, but that’s just what I have been told….!
Letter from Singapore
From Our Own Correspondent
There are countries where the people in charge have to take responsibility for the mess they make. Singapore, where times have been particularly tough in recent years, isn’t one of them.
First came the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s. Then the terrorist attacks of 11 September hit our tourism sector, which was given a second body blow by the outbreak of SARS. Unemployment and GDP are worsening while rates for utilities, public transport and our Goods and Services Tax (GST) are all increasing.
Now we learn that the payments our employers make into the Central Provident Fund (CPF) – which is used to pay for our mortgages, medical bills and retirement – are also to be slashed in a bid to make Singapore more competitive for employers. Many of us wonder how we’ll make ends meet.
By contrast, the fat cats in government have no such worries. In a country where the average annual salary is US$15,500, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong earns a healthy US$600,000 – more than George W. Bush or Tony Blair. Not bad in a country the size of your Isle of Wight with a population of just four million.
Many of us grumble privately that we’re having to shoulder the burden of economic reforms as Singapore tries to compete with cheaper upstarts such as India and China, while our politicians live the high life. But rumbling is about all we can do. We’ve been ruled by the People’s Action Party (PAP) continuously since 1959 and are managed with an iron rod by our founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, and his entourage.
We do have opposition MPs but they are a rare and some would say fool hardy breed. J.B. Jeyaretnam, for example, the former secretary-general of the tiny opposition Workers’ Party of Singapore, has had seven defamation actions brought against him by Prime Minister Goh since 1997, thereby bankrupting him. This meant he lost his seat in parliament and his licence to practice law.
So we tend not to grumble too loudly. And even if we were to grumble loudly, it’s unlikely the Lee dynasty’s grip on power might end any time soon. When Lee Kuan Yew “retired” as PM in 1990, he established a new position of Senior Minister for himself. This influential advisory cabinet post enables Lee to pull the strings from the sidelines. Now his handpicked successor, Prime Minister Goh, has announced that he is planning to retire and will soon hand power over to …. Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Kuan Yew’s son, whom most of us dislike. A recent unofficial online poll – “If you could vote for the next Prime Minister, it would be…..” revealed that just 12 percent of us voted for Lee younger.
It also looks as though the two Lees will be in power simultaneously. We had expected Lee the elder to step down so Prime Minister Goh could take up the Senior Minister’s job. But the octogenarian has other ideas. Lee, who once said he would rise from the grave to sort out any problems that might emerge in Singapore after his death, has announced that he intends to stay in public life as long as he is fit.
“I will retire from office when I am no longer able to contribute to the government,” he said in an interview with the Straits Times recently. “You don’t have to tell me. I can feel it when I am no longer making a contribution.”
Should the elder Lee remain Senior Minister while his son is Prime Minister, between them they would occupy the two top government posts in one of the richest nations in Southeast Asia. To tighten the Lee family’s stranglehold further, Lee junior’s wife, Ho Ching, is head of Temasek Holdings, a state investment firm that controls many of our leading companies such as Singapore Airlines and Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel). Talk about keeping it in the family! It could in fact be that cozy couple who are strangling the pilots in SIA, but that’s just what I have been told….!