Daily news - 6 Apr

SIA seeking shorter work month for pilots: union
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has proposed a shorter work month for pilots - with captains taking three days of no-pay leave per month and first officers taking four days - according to Air Line Pilots Association Singapore president P James. And discussions are said to be still going on between the union and SIA. The move is one of several measures SIA is looking at to weather the economic downturn. The average basic salary of a captain is around $10,000 a month. Pilots also get additional pay depending on the number of hours they fly. For a 70-hour month of flying, captains can receive a further $3,850. With SIA cutting 11 per cent of its capacity this financial year in response to flagging travel demand, pilots are likely to see a deduction in their pay packet from lower flying hours alone. 'A reduction in flying hours results in cost savings for the company,' Captain James said. The union also said that unlike pilots, managers, ground-staff and cabin crew are being asked to take only one-day leave a month, with managers and ground staff having the choice of taking the one day either as annual leave or unpaid leave. For pilots and cabin crew, it will be unpaid leave due to over- staffing. SIA has about 2,000 pilots and 7,000 cabin crew.

Source: Kim Eng