Covid-19: SIA pilots to take compulsory no-pay leave from April 1, 2020

To save jobs.

Belmont Lay | March 24, 2020, 04:10 PM

Singapore Airlines pilots will have to take compulsory no-pay leave of between four and seven days a month, a new measure slapped on them from April 1, 2020, due to Covid-19 ravaging world economies, Business Times reported.

This unprecedented measure is to be carried out in a bid to save jobs.

Pay cut of about 50%

Captains will take seven days of compulsory no-pay leave per month, while First Officers and Second Officers will take five days and four days a month respectively.

The reduction in flight times translates to varying pay cuts, the Air Line Pilots Association - Singapore (Alpa-S) said.

For Captains, it is an average of up to 55 per cent salary cuts.

For First Officers it is up to 50 per cent cuts, and for Second Officers it is up to 15 per cent cuts.

Pilots' total monthly salary package includes a basic salary and a variable component.

Pilots over the age of 62 and on re-employment contracts will be placed on a six-month-long furlough.

This announcement comes on the back of a March 23 announcement that SIA would make sweeping capacity cuts of 96 per cent until end-April.

A total of 138 SIA and SilkAir planes from their combined fleets of 147 aircraft will be grounded.

Meanwhile, SIA's low-cost unit Scoot is grounding 47 of its 49 aircraft, suspending the vast majority of its network.

Other cost-cutting measures have been put in place by SIA.

Its senior management, led by CEO Goh Choon Phong, will be taking a steeper salary cut of 30 per cent from April 1, while executive vice-presidents and senior vice-presidents will take cuts of 25 per cent and 20 per cent.

Alpa-S has nearly 2,400 active members.

It represents about 95 per cent of SIA, SilkAir and SIA Cargo pilot population.

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