KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11): The National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (NUFAM) is asking airlines to consider allowing their staff to take part-time work to earn side income, while still maintaining their employment with the company.

NUFAM said this could be an alternative arrangement for airlines instead of letting their employees go during this time when many flights are grounded as a result of movement restrictions against the backdrop of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

This would also give the employees an opportunity to earn income elsewhere temporarily while the airlines may not be able to pay their normal salaries, the union said.

"If the employees are given the option to work elsewhere or put on temporary furlough, why not? The workers need to survive too. Some airlines, it appears, are too stringent and choose to let go many employees instead," NUFAM said in a statement today.

It said the current policy is that employers will not allow their employees to work elsewhere or earn other income since the law does not allow them to do so.

"As long as both parties agree to relax these conditions and terms, we see no harm to this issue. It's a matter of survival now," NUFAM said.

Additionally, airlines should also consider closing half of their flight operations if they need to reduce more costs, it said.

"Currently some airlines are operating like normal but at the same time they are losing money and complaining there are no more flights to operate.

"[There is] no use of sending workers to work and stand by at the airport and go for training during this period. This is also asking workers who are already affected [by] their income to spend unnecessarily on transportation as if the airline are still operating like normal," it said.

NUFAM sad it has urged the government to set up a special committee for the aviation sector to help protect the airline industry's business and people, adding that the committee must include unions and worker representatives.

"Till today we are all still waiting for the response by the Ministry of Transport and those who are involved in the aviation [industry]. Why [are there] still no meetings to discuss all these crucial matters? Where is the effort and urgency to tackle these issues today?" it said.

The union also urged the government to not shut down the national airline or merge it with another entity for concern that there would be more job losses.