Covid-19: DAP rep urges ministers to tackle plight of airline industry workers

DAP's Labour Bureau chief A Sivanesan has urged Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong and Human Resources Minister M Saravanan to urgently raise the plight of airline industry workers at the cabinet level.

The Sungkai assemblyperson warned that Malaysia risked losing its airline sector unless the government moved to address its financial woes which had led to workers being laid off.

"I feel disappointed because to this day the government has yet to take proactive measures to save the airline sector which is among worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"In the previously announced economic stimulus package, there was no specific incentive for the airline industry," he told Malaysiakini.

"I urge the government to urgently discuss this issue in cabinet in order to find a solution," he added.

Malaysia has been under various phases of movement control orders from March 18 but national carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd, even prior to the temporary halt to air travels, had announced that some 13,000 staff were told to take no-pay leave beginning April.

Low-cost carriers AirAsia and Malindo Air recently announced similar plans to downsize their operations after more than two months of restricted operations.

Sivanesan said Saravanan should have met with the National Labour Advisory Council which comprises the Malaysian Employers Federation and the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress.

"In my view, these moves by the airline companies were done according to existing laws.

"It appears that they had no choice but to retrench workers after receiving no assistance or guarantees from the government," said Sivanesan who is also a labour lawyer.

"There are some 40,000 workers in these three companies and more than 60 percent are skilled. Now their incomes are badly affected.

"Don't let it be until they migrate to other countries like what happened 10 years ago when a large number of MAS pilots moved to Gulf Air because of higher pay," he said.

Malindo Air which operates both domestic and international flights had on May 29 announced a voluntary separation scheme offer for 5,000 employees after claiming it has failed to obtain assistance from the government.

In its internal memo, Malindo cited a drastic loss of income over the last five months as being among the grounds for offering the VSS.

It added that after its overall fleet was downsized by 50 percent to only 25 aircraft, the company currently has a surplus of workers.

Meanwhile, AirAsia announced that more than 300 staff may be let go in its downsizing exercise, in response to challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The lay-offs, which was said to have been announced by chief executive officer Riad Asmat during an internal briefing session on Thursday, are expected to involve 111 of 1,900 cabin crew members, 172 pilots and 50 engineers. - Mkini