Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR: Union members of troubled Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) are expected to stage a mass protest that may disrupt the country’s air travel in a last-ditch attempt to get the national carrier’s largest shareholder Khazanah Nasional Bhd to scrap its plan to cull some 6,000 jobs, said sources close to the matter.

“Yes, we (our union) are preparing [to stage a protest], looking at the present situation,” a source from one of the unions told The Edge Financial Daily yesterday.

He, however, declined to disclose the number of MAS employees who could be involved, the form the protest could take, or when it would take place.

Another source said the unions are waiting for the impending termination letters to be sent out to employees of MAS before making their move.

MAS has an existing workforce of 20,000, of which some 6,000 will be laid off by Khazanah as part of its RM6 billion restructuring plan for the airline.

There are at least nine worker unions and associations in MAS, and The Edge Financial Daily understands that at least one union is preparing to go on strike to force the government to renegotiate the fate of the employees who will be terminated or transferred to assume new job roles at the new Malaysia Airlines NewCo, Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB).

The largest union in MAS is Malaysia Airlines System Employees Union (Maseu) which has about 13,500 members, with others including the National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam) which represents about 3,500 cabin crew members, Malaysia Airlines Employees Union Peninsular Malaysia and the Malaysia Airlines Pilot Association.

The last time the unions came together in full force was when they lobbied to unbundle the proposed share swap between MAS and AirAsia Bhd in 2012. They have also recently joined forces to condemn the MAS Act that was swiftly passed in Parliament in November last year.

When contacted, Maseu secretary-general Abdul Malek Ariff told The Edge Financial Daily that the union is disappointed with Khazanah and the management of MAS for not taking the interest of employees who will be affected by the restructuring into consideration.

However, on Maseu’s part, he said it is not looking to stage a strike or to picket.

“Maybe [a] protest, but not a strike or picket,” he said.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Mohd Khalid Atan said he is unaware of protest plans that may be brewing among MAS union members.

He also pointed out that, according to the law, any person or group staging a strike will need written permission of at least two weeks in advance from their employer and the government.

“Picketing is allowed (no written permission needed) to show their dissatisfaction — maybe a few hours or during lunch time. But a strike will mean a total shut down [of operations], where everyone will go on strike and it could last a day or days,” he added.

While he has no knowledge of any protest plans, Mohd Khalid said MAS unions largely felt that they have been sidelined and not engaged with over issues that affect the welfare of their members since Khazanah announced the restructuring plan last year. 

Khazanah had, under the five-year 12-point MAS Recovery Plan (MRP) announced on Aug 29 last year, stated that a talent assessment process would take place to identify a leaner and more efficient workforce — estimated to be some 14,000 employees — for MAB, which is to start operations on April 1, 2015.

In preparation for this, Khazanah has established a framework for a proposed Corporate Reskilling Centre and Outplacement Centre to retrain the 14,000 who will be retained and to place out the 6,000 who will be laid off.

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 24, 2015.

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