SIA asks staff to take unpaid leave

QX179R SG

Singapore Airlines, the world's biggest airline by market value, has asked staff to take unpaid leave for up to two years in a bid to reduce costs.

The scheme, which is voluntary, applies to the carrier's 14 thousand employees.

The airline announced plans last month to cut its capacity by 11 percent.

The carrier said last month that its quarterly profit fell 43 percent, as demand slowed for travel and cargo.

--938Live

Fryderyk HPH SG

Singapore Airlines, the world's biggest airline by market value, has asked staff to take unpaid leave for up to two years in a bid to reduce costs.

The scheme, which is voluntary, applies to the carrier's 14 thousand employees.

The airline announced plans last month to cut its capacity by 11 percent.

The carrier said last month that its quarterly profit fell 43 percent, as demand slowed for travel and cargo.

--938Live

Which employee in the right mind will take this scheme anyways... Prepare for cost cutting and retrenchments. Insider info tells me up to 2500 employees will be axed... Most from SIA's subsidiaries. Internal divisions will be merged with staff laid off and jobs given to "sub-contractors"...

carbikebus SG

Pity for those working 10 years and beyond.Now i see Filipinas driving Aircraft tow tugs,Pity for the staff who is less than 1 year in service too.Everything slash....Benefit for those foreign workers

stellazio SG

yeah who will take it..

i wonder whether they'll cut pilots..

kopiosatu SG

why wasn't this offered to me when i was in SAF last time

i wouldn't mind not getting paid to sit at home for a month to rest.

Fryderyk HPH SG

If you see ground staff, they are mostly outsourced workers... They are under a holding company and that company got the jobs coz people under SIA main were retrenched... That is cost cutting to SIA...

Fryderyk HPH SG

yeah who will take it..

i wonder whether they'll cut pilots..

SIA is short of pilots as it is...

Although I think dissolving the pilot's union would be a much better idea... Then the pilots won't start asking for higher pay...

Fryderyk HPH SG

why wasn't this offered to me when i was in SAF last time

i wouldn't mind not getting paid to sit at home for a month to rest.

LMAO!

Sidetrack a little... Now is the best time to travel on SIA... Fares on certain destinations hit rock bottom... Look at Seoul for example... Now is in the $600~ range(never b4).

sinicker SG

i knew abt it long before media report it....

some pilots got sideline work one... so can afford to take a short relaxing break bah..

Fryderyk HPH SG

Singapore Airlines, the world's biggest airline by market value, has asked staff to take unpaid leave for up to two years in a bid to reduce costs.

The scheme, which is voluntary, applies to the carrier's 14 thousand employees.

The airline announced plans last month to cut its capacity by 11 percent.

The carrier said last month that its quarterly profit fell 43 percent, as demand slowed for travel and cargo.

--938Live

And if SIA company decides to shrink about 10%, it will no longer be the world's biggest airline by market value(and that will drop even further when they divest SIAEC, SATS and CAAS).

Fryderyk HPH SG

i knew abt it long before media report it....

some pilots got sideline work one... so can afford to take a short relaxing break bah..

I knew it since Sept '08

Oh and pilots... They cannot have sideline work(conflict of company interest). Mostly FO and Captain layover in overseas destination is only 1 ~ 2 days(for long haul) and short haul(under 3~4 hours) have no layover at all. Rest in SIN is typically only 3~4 days. And that is mandatory under IATA and ICAO rules. Jet lag(for long haul destinations) essentially takes away two days of rest(at SIN).

peppermintland SG

I think taking the voluntary no pay leave right now is a great way to sit back, relax and reflect, aside from helping the company on cutting costs.

I'm sure it's well received among the staff.

gasband SG

I knew it since Sept '08

I knew it since the beginning of time. HAHA!

ANyway I heard for this case, if they take a certain time of unpaid leave (more than a year?), SIA does allow them to take on other jobs.

kopiosatu SG

I'm sure it's well received among the staff.

not to the idiots who overspend by buying BMW and condos

Penny.lj.ying SG

haix.....retrench retrech..my friend kena pok 2,3 months ago only...

Fryderyk HPH SG

I think taking the voluntary no pay leave right now is a great way to sit back, relax and reflect, aside from helping the company on cutting costs.

I'm sure it's well received among the staff.

You joking me???

Word spreading in the company now is that people who take that scheme might find themselves to be jobless after the "break" taken... Why do you think people don't want to take that scheme?

Something like you take the scheme, you might be retrenched. You don't take the scheme, you might also be retrenched...

It sux, I know, my fellow contacts at SIA Group are worried for their ricebowls these days... They are the people who have worked in SIA since its inception in 1972 and they love the company, they love their jobs... Which worker nowadays loves his job? These people are in their 50s and it would be SIA's loss to cut them out. They have valuable experience in SIA.

Fryderyk HPH SG

ANyway I heard for this case, if they take a certain time of unpaid leave (more than a year?), SIA does allow them to take on other jobs.

Correct. Allowed to moonlight, as long the job does not have conflict of interest with SIA... E.g working for Jetstar Asia/Valuair... That kinda thing.

charlize SG

SIA use that JCS or not?

Fryderyk HPH SG

SIA use that JCS or not?

JCS?

What do you mean?

charlize SG

JCS?

What do you mean?

Jobs Credit Scheme.

Minister says JCS will reduce retrenchments.