SIA and its Pilots Agree
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SIA and its Pilots Agree
Hi all,
Resolutions at last !
Cheers
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sin...71799,00.html?
SIA, pilots agree on employment terms
* Pilots' salaries will go back to pre-Sars level
* Increase will go into variable component of wages
* Maximum number of flying hours a year up by 100 hours but more annual leave will be given
By Karamjit Kaur
SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) and its pilots' union have finally hammered out a deal on wages and other employment terms after many months of private and public wrangling.
Inked yesterday, the deal will be the basis for a new collective agreement, to be valid for three years from two days ago.
Confirming a report in The Straits Times yesterday, SIA and the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S) said in a joint statement released last night that the pilots' salaries will go back to pre-Sars level.
The pilots took a pay cut of between 11 per cent and 16.5 per cent last year, after the airline registered its first-ever quarterly loss of $312 million in the three months from April to June.
While their salaries will go back to what they were, both sides have agreed that the increase will go into the variable component of the wages, in line with the airline's move to restructure its wages to remain competitive.
In a bid to increase productivity, pilots will also have their maximum number of flying hours a year go up from 900 to 1,000 hours.
But they will get more annual leave each year too: between 32 and 36 days, up from 28 days now.
SIA will also move to narrow the gap in pilots' pay, the statement said.
Currently, for example, the highest-earning captain makes about 1.9 times more than a colleague at the low end of the scale.
The aim is to adjust the figure to 1.6 times.
Commenting on the successful conclusion of the negotiations which began in January, SIA chief executive Chew Choon Seng said in the statement: 'I thank Alpa-S leaders for their constructive and cordial approach to the negotiations.' He added that the company can now 'move forward as a team to face challenges in this competitive environment'.
Captain Mok Hin Choon, president of Alpa-S, which represents the bulk of SIA pilots, said: 'Our members have always sought an amicable resolution to the negotiations.
'We always believed that constructive dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect and good faith is the best course.'
On the status of wage talks with its four other unions, SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw told The Straits Times: 'Discussions are ongoing, and we are hopeful that we will reach final agreements with all the unions soon.'
The unions - SIA Staff Union, Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers' Union, SIA Engineering Company Engineers and Executives Union, and the Air Transport Executive Staff Union - are all affiliated to the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
Alpa-S has no links with the NTUC.
Pilots contacted yesterday were glad that the tussle with management had ended.
A captain who did not want to be named said: 'This is good news. The stalemate was really bad for morale, and we lost many good pilots who just gave up on waiting for both sides to get their act together.
'Now, we can put this whole saga behind us and move on.'
SIA, which rebounded strongly after Sars and closed the fiscal year that ended in March with an $849.3 million profit, now faces other challenges: the key ones being the proliferation of budget airlines in the region and high fuel prices.
Resolutions at last !
Cheers
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/sin...71799,00.html?
SIA, pilots agree on employment terms
* Pilots' salaries will go back to pre-Sars level
* Increase will go into variable component of wages
* Maximum number of flying hours a year up by 100 hours but more annual leave will be given
By Karamjit Kaur
SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) and its pilots' union have finally hammered out a deal on wages and other employment terms after many months of private and public wrangling.
Inked yesterday, the deal will be the basis for a new collective agreement, to be valid for three years from two days ago.
Confirming a report in The Straits Times yesterday, SIA and the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S) said in a joint statement released last night that the pilots' salaries will go back to pre-Sars level.
The pilots took a pay cut of between 11 per cent and 16.5 per cent last year, after the airline registered its first-ever quarterly loss of $312 million in the three months from April to June.
While their salaries will go back to what they were, both sides have agreed that the increase will go into the variable component of the wages, in line with the airline's move to restructure its wages to remain competitive.
In a bid to increase productivity, pilots will also have their maximum number of flying hours a year go up from 900 to 1,000 hours.
But they will get more annual leave each year too: between 32 and 36 days, up from 28 days now.
SIA will also move to narrow the gap in pilots' pay, the statement said.
Currently, for example, the highest-earning captain makes about 1.9 times more than a colleague at the low end of the scale.
The aim is to adjust the figure to 1.6 times.
Commenting on the successful conclusion of the negotiations which began in January, SIA chief executive Chew Choon Seng said in the statement: 'I thank Alpa-S leaders for their constructive and cordial approach to the negotiations.' He added that the company can now 'move forward as a team to face challenges in this competitive environment'.
Captain Mok Hin Choon, president of Alpa-S, which represents the bulk of SIA pilots, said: 'Our members have always sought an amicable resolution to the negotiations.
'We always believed that constructive dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect and good faith is the best course.'
On the status of wage talks with its four other unions, SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw told The Straits Times: 'Discussions are ongoing, and we are hopeful that we will reach final agreements with all the unions soon.'
The unions - SIA Staff Union, Singapore Airport Terminal Services Workers' Union, SIA Engineering Company Engineers and Executives Union, and the Air Transport Executive Staff Union - are all affiliated to the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
Alpa-S has no links with the NTUC.
Pilots contacted yesterday were glad that the tussle with management had ended.
A captain who did not want to be named said: 'This is good news. The stalemate was really bad for morale, and we lost many good pilots who just gave up on waiting for both sides to get their act together.
'Now, we can put this whole saga behind us and move on.'
SIA, which rebounded strongly after Sars and closed the fiscal year that ended in March with an $849.3 million profit, now faces other challenges: the key ones being the proliferation of budget airlines in the region and high fuel prices.
Finally
