Unions call on PM to intervene in MAS' restructuring plan that will result in loss of 6,000 jobs

Posted on 23 March 2015 - 06:22pm
Last updated on 23 March 2015 - 06:52pm
Lee Choon Fai
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Employee unions have banded together to call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to intervene in Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) restructuring which will see 6,000 workers being retrenched.

International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam), and Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) are among those who jointly sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office on the issue.

Other unions showing solidarity with MAS workers include Tenaga Nasional Berhad Junior Officers Union (TNBJOU), United Malaysia Labour Centre (UMLC), and Public Services International.

Nufam president Ismail Nasaruddin demanded that Khazanah Nasional Berhad, which owns 70% of shares in MAS and is overseeing restructuring operations, consult MAS in-house unions and threatened to picket if this is not done before downsizing starts in June.

"We will object to any termination letters and will picket if they do not consult us about the restructuring exercise.

"We hope the Prime Minister will pay attention to the issues MAS workers are facing; we do not want to picket and oppose the government, we only want open and harmonious discussions," Ismail told a press conference at the Crystal Crown Hotel today.

He said MAS' financial predicament is due to mismanagement and leakages from the top, and it is the management that needs to be restructured.

As proof, Ismail said he has data and financial records which he will reveal "when the time is right", and that reports have already been lodged with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in January and February.

Nufam secretary-general Mohd Akram Osman added that the average years of experience for MAS employees is 17 and those retrenched are unlikely to be able to work in other industries due to their training and age.

ITF Malaysia Chapter secretary-general Tan Sri Zainal Rampak said the restructuring has been taking too long and MAS' 20,000 employees have been left to wonder if they will be axed.

"Why is Khazanah not taking any proactive measures to solve the problems faced by these 6,000 employees?" Zainal asked.

MTUC secretary-general N. Gopal Krishnan said Khazanah is under the Finance Ministry of which Najib is the minister, thus he has to ensure that the job is done properly.

Gopal asserted that cutting MAS' workforce by 30% does not amount to restructuring the airline, noting that the carrier had been downsized to 18,000 employees in 2006, only to have 2,000 of them re-employed.

He added that changing one or two persons in the top management does not equal to a revamp, and more needs to be done to save MAS.

MAS lost RM1.17 billion in the 2013 fiscal year, and the MH370 and MH17 twin tragedies exacerbated its financial performance throughout 2014 as customers lost confidence in the airline and the safety of air travel.

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