The Singapore Airlines (SIA) group has taken a number of measures to help alleviate financial losses from the collapse of air travel due to Covid-19.

The group, which includes SIA, SilkAir, and Scoot — told Mothership that some of these measures include no-pay leave, pay cuts, and an early retirement scheme.

No-pay leave

More than 6,000 Singapore Airlines (SIA) group staff have taken up no-pay leave since they were first offered the scheme in March 2020.

The number, which includes ground staff, pilots, and cabin crew, makes up about one quarter of its 27,000 employees.

The SIA spokesperson said that the duration of no-pay leave vary among staff, with the shortest being seven days.

They said that they are supporting its staff by facilitating volunteering opportunities and secondary employment through the company's Ambassador Programmes and their internal Employee Support Portal.

They added that more than 1,700 staff have signed up for short term volunteer positions and job placements outside the company. These roles include opportunities at public transport stations, social service offices, and hospitals.

Staff who are on no-pay leave are also allowed to source for their own temporary employment outside of the company if they are not work pass holders.

SIA said that they have also facilitated online financial, mental, and physical wellness programmes through the portal to help staff during this time.

Reducing expenditure

It was earlier reported that SIA has cut the pay of all staff in the organisation.

The spokesperson confirmed this, saying that the company has cut the pay of all staff by at least 10 percent.

Managers and above have taken pay cuts ranging between 12-35 percent, while the CEO has taken the largest cut of 35 percent.

SIA added that the SIA board have also taken a 30 percent cut in their fees in solidarity with staff.

The company has also been trying to manage its expenditure in a number of other ways.

According to the spokesperson, SIA has been working with suppliers and partners to reduce costs and reschedule payments.

SIA has also deferred non-critical expenditure projects, and imposed tighter controls on expenditure.

In addition, a recruitment freeze has been implemented since April 2020.

The spokesperson added that have also depended on "attrition and retirements without replacements" to manage their headcount.

They added that they just introduced the "Covid-19 Special Early Retirement Scheme", which is a voluntary one-off early retirement opportunity for staff to retire with monetary pay outs and retirement travel benefits.

SIA said: "We are reviewing the potential shape and size of our network over the longer term, given Covid-19 and its impact on our passenger traffic and revenue, which will provide clarity on fleet size and mix that the Group will need."

Top image via Singapore Airlines Facebook.