SIA pilot's Union under pressure (merged)
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Finally, a journalist that appears to support the pilots...
Thank you twitchy for transcribing the article.
Who knows? Maybe this is an attempt to show the world that Singapore does have newspapers which "dare" to publish independant views. Maybe it is the token voice of dissent...
ALPA-S, may I be so audacious as to offer some advice:
1. Never have a resolution that is logically flawed and untenable in the first place. And don't try to use fancy words to hide your true intentions.
Example: Be it resolved that the Airline Pilots Association–Singapore, not accept any Compulsory No Pay Leave (CNPL) or other wage-reduction measures until Management has addressed the issue of surplus pilots by de-seconding pilots who are not directly employed by the Company. (This refers to Overseas-Based pilots who are seconded to, and not employed directly by, SIA).
One might ask, exactly what does "addressed the issue of surplus pilots" mean in this context?
Read together with the words "by de-seconding pilots who are not directly employed by the Company" the meaning is clear: fix the problem of surplus pilots by sacking the seconded pilots.
So, for plain English explanation:
a. Be it resolved that the Airline Pilots Association-Singapore: It is our stand that we, ALPA-S...
b. not accept any Compulsory No Pay Leave (CNPL) or other wage-reduction measures until: self explanatory
c. Management has addressed the issue of surplus pilots by de-seconding pilots who are not directly employed by the Company. (This refers to Overseas-Based pilots who are seconded to, and not employed directly by, SIA): the problem of surplus pilots is fixed by the company terminating the services of pilots working for (eg) SIA (Mauritius).
In other words:
It is our stand that we, ALPA-S not accept any Compulsory No Pay Leave (CNPL) or other wage-reduction measures until the problem of surplus pilots is fixed by the company terminating the services of pilots working for (eg) SIA (Mauritius).
Their wordy resolution gives them some space to claim that they never meant to have the seconded pilots sacked, but do they really expect SIA (Mauritius) to keep them on the payroll after SIA has "de-seconded" them?
2. Don't try to worsen your situation by making claims that your position was misunderstood: The Business Times 27 May http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/s...82601,00.html?
Quote:
'We will not be able to persuade foreign pilots to join us in good times, as we will be remembered as an unfair employer,' the spokesman said, alluding to media reports that the pilots are not prepared to accept wage cuts until a group of foreign pilots employed under an 'overseas based scheme (OBS)' are first let go. But this is not their stand, according to an Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S) official.
'When Alpa-S was first informed of the company's intention to effect a 15 to 22.5% wage cut on top of compulsory no-pay leave, our reaction was that the combination of all the components would be too much for us to bear,' said the Alpa-S spokesman.
He said the proposed cut is excessive and must be justified. The pilots are also asking for some assurance that these will be restored in better times.
On the question of the OBS pilots, the union thinks they are now contributing to the problem of excess pilots, which would last about one to two years.
They want to see such 'excess pilots' reduced to an acceptable number, while accepting the company's need to carry some 'fat' in case of an upturn.
Unquote.
ALPA-S, if you understand the meaning of your own resolution, you said nothing of reducing excess pilots to an acceptable number. You instead said that Management should stop the services of all pilots not directly employed by SIA.
Even if reducing the excess to an acceptable number was your real intention, the resolution says otherwise.
In the Internet world, messages are made of hard text which is what gets transmitted, and emotions are left behind. If you guys crafted the resolution poorly then you just have to pay the price for it.
3. Harness the power of the Internet. ALPA-S, you had previously set up a public forum on their website re SQ006. However the intellectual content was not at all like PPRuNe and eventually was like a fish market. ALPA-S, you should have set up a webpage telling your part of the story to do damage control. The Straits Times cannot be relied upon to tell your story for you.
4. Do scenario planning. How is it that on my own I am able to predict what will the press will say? You have a whole bunch of brains in various committees, what happened?
Who knows? Maybe this is an attempt to show the world that Singapore does have newspapers which "dare" to publish independant views. Maybe it is the token voice of dissent...
ALPA-S, may I be so audacious as to offer some advice:
1. Never have a resolution that is logically flawed and untenable in the first place. And don't try to use fancy words to hide your true intentions.
Example: Be it resolved that the Airline Pilots Association–Singapore, not accept any Compulsory No Pay Leave (CNPL) or other wage-reduction measures until Management has addressed the issue of surplus pilots by de-seconding pilots who are not directly employed by the Company. (This refers to Overseas-Based pilots who are seconded to, and not employed directly by, SIA).
One might ask, exactly what does "addressed the issue of surplus pilots" mean in this context?
Read together with the words "by de-seconding pilots who are not directly employed by the Company" the meaning is clear: fix the problem of surplus pilots by sacking the seconded pilots.
So, for plain English explanation:
a. Be it resolved that the Airline Pilots Association-Singapore: It is our stand that we, ALPA-S...
b. not accept any Compulsory No Pay Leave (CNPL) or other wage-reduction measures until: self explanatory
c. Management has addressed the issue of surplus pilots by de-seconding pilots who are not directly employed by the Company. (This refers to Overseas-Based pilots who are seconded to, and not employed directly by, SIA): the problem of surplus pilots is fixed by the company terminating the services of pilots working for (eg) SIA (Mauritius).
In other words:
It is our stand that we, ALPA-S not accept any Compulsory No Pay Leave (CNPL) or other wage-reduction measures until the problem of surplus pilots is fixed by the company terminating the services of pilots working for (eg) SIA (Mauritius).
Their wordy resolution gives them some space to claim that they never meant to have the seconded pilots sacked, but do they really expect SIA (Mauritius) to keep them on the payroll after SIA has "de-seconded" them?
2. Don't try to worsen your situation by making claims that your position was misunderstood: The Business Times 27 May http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/s...82601,00.html?
Quote:
'We will not be able to persuade foreign pilots to join us in good times, as we will be remembered as an unfair employer,' the spokesman said, alluding to media reports that the pilots are not prepared to accept wage cuts until a group of foreign pilots employed under an 'overseas based scheme (OBS)' are first let go. But this is not their stand, according to an Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S) official.
'When Alpa-S was first informed of the company's intention to effect a 15 to 22.5% wage cut on top of compulsory no-pay leave, our reaction was that the combination of all the components would be too much for us to bear,' said the Alpa-S spokesman.
He said the proposed cut is excessive and must be justified. The pilots are also asking for some assurance that these will be restored in better times.
On the question of the OBS pilots, the union thinks they are now contributing to the problem of excess pilots, which would last about one to two years.
They want to see such 'excess pilots' reduced to an acceptable number, while accepting the company's need to carry some 'fat' in case of an upturn.
Unquote.
ALPA-S, if you understand the meaning of your own resolution, you said nothing of reducing excess pilots to an acceptable number. You instead said that Management should stop the services of all pilots not directly employed by SIA.
Even if reducing the excess to an acceptable number was your real intention, the resolution says otherwise.
In the Internet world, messages are made of hard text which is what gets transmitted, and emotions are left behind. If you guys crafted the resolution poorly then you just have to pay the price for it.
3. Harness the power of the Internet. ALPA-S, you had previously set up a public forum on their website re SQ006. However the intellectual content was not at all like PPRuNe and eventually was like a fish market. ALPA-S, you should have set up a webpage telling your part of the story to do damage control. The Straits Times cannot be relied upon to tell your story for you.
4. Do scenario planning. How is it that on my own I am able to predict what will the press will say? You have a whole bunch of brains in various committees, what happened?
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ALPA-S vs SIA: no progress
The Straits Times version:
MAY 27, 2003
SIA, pilots' crisis talk ends in deadlock
SINGAPORE -- Crisis talks between Singapore Airlines management and its pilots' union over wage cuts to help the carrier weather the impact of Sars ended in deadlock on Tuesday.
'There was no resolution,' said Captain Frank John, spokesman of the Air Line Pilots Association Singapore.
He said management told the pilots that the airline was in a 'very serious situation and they requested us to seriously consider the wage cuts that they have proposed'.
Management also said they would 'moderate' its proposals for compulsory unpaid leave of 10-12 days every two months if the union accepted the wage cuts, he said.
SIA is proposing a 22.5-per-cent wage reduction for pilots and 15 per cent for first officers as a measure to reduce costs and allow the airline to survive the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic.
The union said pilots stand to lose 40-50 per cent of their monthly wages from the salary cuts and unpaid leaves.
Capt John said another round of talks was tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday.
He said the pilots reiterated their position that management should first axe foreign-based pilots employed by a 100 per cent SIA-owned company called SIA Mauritius before they agree to discuss wage cuts.
SIA has cut a third of its total passenger capacity after passenger volumes dwindled as travellers avoided Singapore and East Asia for fear of contracting the pneumonia-like virus. -- AFP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
The Channel News Asia version:
No resolution after first round of talks between SIA pilots and management
By Farah Abdul Rahim
There has been no resolution after the first round of negotiations between Singapore Airlines' management and pilots.
They sat down on Tuesday at the negotiating table for the first time since the dispute over cost-cutting measures surfaced.
According to the pilots' union, another round of talks is scheduled for next week.
It is understood that the issue of releasing the foreign SIA pilots based overseas was not even on the table.
Instead the two sides discussed wage cuts and compulsory no pay leave, which will lower the salaries of captains by 22.5 percent and first officers by 15 percent.
SIA had wanted the cost-cutting measures to kick in from June 1, but this looks unlikely.
MAY 27, 2003
SIA, pilots' crisis talk ends in deadlock
SINGAPORE -- Crisis talks between Singapore Airlines management and its pilots' union over wage cuts to help the carrier weather the impact of Sars ended in deadlock on Tuesday.
'There was no resolution,' said Captain Frank John, spokesman of the Air Line Pilots Association Singapore.
He said management told the pilots that the airline was in a 'very serious situation and they requested us to seriously consider the wage cuts that they have proposed'.
Management also said they would 'moderate' its proposals for compulsory unpaid leave of 10-12 days every two months if the union accepted the wage cuts, he said.
SIA is proposing a 22.5-per-cent wage reduction for pilots and 15 per cent for first officers as a measure to reduce costs and allow the airline to survive the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic.
The union said pilots stand to lose 40-50 per cent of their monthly wages from the salary cuts and unpaid leaves.
Capt John said another round of talks was tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday.
He said the pilots reiterated their position that management should first axe foreign-based pilots employed by a 100 per cent SIA-owned company called SIA Mauritius before they agree to discuss wage cuts.
SIA has cut a third of its total passenger capacity after passenger volumes dwindled as travellers avoided Singapore and East Asia for fear of contracting the pneumonia-like virus. -- AFP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
The Channel News Asia version:
No resolution after first round of talks between SIA pilots and management
By Farah Abdul Rahim
There has been no resolution after the first round of negotiations between Singapore Airlines' management and pilots.
They sat down on Tuesday at the negotiating table for the first time since the dispute over cost-cutting measures surfaced.
According to the pilots' union, another round of talks is scheduled for next week.
It is understood that the issue of releasing the foreign SIA pilots based overseas was not even on the table.
Instead the two sides discussed wage cuts and compulsory no pay leave, which will lower the salaries of captains by 22.5 percent and first officers by 15 percent.
SIA had wanted the cost-cutting measures to kick in from June 1, but this looks unlikely.
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Straits Times, 27 May 2003
“SIA is proposing a 22.5-per-cent wage reduction for pilots and 15 per cent for first officers as a measure to reduce costs and allow the airline to survive the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic.”
What exactly does “survive the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic” mean?
Does it mean break even for fiscal 03/04 or does it mean steady as she goes for the usual $1 bn profit per annum?
I’m amenable to the principle of salary cuts (for all) if the former is the case but I’m certainly not if the latter’s the case!
“SIA is proposing a 22.5-per-cent wage reduction for pilots and 15 per cent for first officers as a measure to reduce costs and allow the airline to survive the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic.”
What exactly does “survive the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic” mean?
Does it mean break even for fiscal 03/04 or does it mean steady as she goes for the usual $1 bn profit per annum?
I’m amenable to the principle of salary cuts (for all) if the former is the case but I’m certainly not if the latter’s the case!
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Baffled & Confused
Would appreciate if any of you can care to explain / answer the below questions:-
How United are you pilots in your present situation?
What is the ratio of voting unity of 'nays and 'yeahs'?
Is it all talk talk behind closed doors or is it open without fear?
What is the public opinion polls on this issue?
How United are you pilots in your present situation?
What is the ratio of voting unity of 'nays and 'yeahs'?
Is it all talk talk behind closed doors or is it open without fear?
What is the public opinion polls on this issue?
