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SriLankan pilots fly the roster, claiming airline boss failed to honour pledge on pay-cut
View(s):SriLankan Airlines pilots are “flying the roster” over a protracted dispute with the management.
“This is not a work-to-rule action or any form of industrial action,” the Airline Pilot’s Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) insisted. “It only means that pilots will fly the published 28-day roster only and not extend any cooperation to the company to fly on its designated off-days and annual leave.”
In October 2020, the national carrier implemented what the ALPGSL called “a unilateral and unlawful pay cut” to cope with the financial crunch arising from the global pandemic. While this also affected other categories of staff, between 40 and 60 percent was slashed from pilot salaries.
Chairman Ashok Pathirage reportedly said at a union meeting in March last year that when revenue reaches 40-50 percent of pre-COVID levels, salary cuts would be reduced by 50 percent; and that when it returns to 70 percent of pre-COVID levels, full remuneration would be paid.
In September, Mr Pathirage was quoted as saying SriLankan was earning 50 percent of pre-COVID revenue, the ALPGSL said.
The following month, the company started easing the restrictions but pilots were granted “the least reduction in their pay cuts” of five percent. The reduction in pay cuts across the board, however, ranged from 35 to 55 percent, they claimed. This was the start of the conflict.
During a discussion in October 2021, the chairman reportedly said that, “while his statement to the employees in March regarding the reduction of pay cuts was made only with good intentions, he was unable to honour it,” a media note from the ALPGSL states.
Among the issues taken up at this meeting were the cap on the dollar for salary calculations; ongoing pay cuts; stoppage of onboard meal allowances; stoppage and reduction of the fixed and variable pay of instructors; and suspension of payments made for flying on off-days.
“All proposals submitted by the ALPGSL were rejected,” the union said, adding that they were told austerity measures would continue till March 31, 2022.
In November, a fresh dispute arose over “newly-promoted captains being forced to fly on First Officer salaries,” the union said. Additionally, the promotion of 36 Junior First Officers to First Officer rank—with related increment and change in grade—was held up.
In December, the Labour Commissioner reportedly issued notice to SriLankan employees saying the pay cut was illegal. The carrier released a communique to all employees announcing a full reduction of the pay cuts based on increased revenue. But the dollar cap affecting the pilots and some other employee categories remained.
The ALPGSL, therefore, wrote to the chairman raising six grievances including “unacceptable contracts for captains”; removal of dollar cap value for all remunerations (the rate is capped at Rs 188.78 per USD); restoration of inflight meal allowances; and resumption of payments for off-day flights.
The chairman in response explained why austerity matters were implemented but did “nothing to credibly address any of the six concerns raised by the ALPGSL”, the media note said.
Consequently, the union launched a “fly the roster campaign”. But it was suspended six days later after the chairman conveyed that all grievances would be resolved by January 31 this year.
The Guild wrote to the management on January 28 reminding that the six outstanding demands had not been met. In response, the chairman reportedly said certain issues would be addressed in April when austerity measures were due to end; one is being solved but not as was expected; and that the rest will be taken up “at a point if and when the company is financially stable”.
“This is no different to what was stated by the chairman on the 13th of October and resulted in a complete loss of faith in the word of the chairman,” the media note says. A meeting with the management on February 3 ended in a stalemate. The “fly the roster” initiative started the next day and is ongoing.
“We have reinstated all the salaries across all employees and they are also part of our employees,” Mr Pathirage told the Sunday Times. “We have our priorities. There are people who are drawing less than Rs 50,000.”
“The company’s finances should be able to manage these increases,” he continued. “We are not getting money from anywhere? The airline has to be profitable. It has to generate its own cash for us to look after them.”
“We appreciate all they [pilots] have done,” he said. “Not only them, everybody. We have been telling them to be patient because we have reinstated most of it and we will resolve these issues, one by one. That is why I said to wait till April.”
“But if they are going to damage the airline by working to rule, it’s not going to help anybody,” Mr Pathirage asserted. “Solving these issues will get delayed. They have to be responsible. We have been very fair to everybody. They have to be fair to the airline because this is where they make money. First of all, the organisation must survive. Only if this organisation survives will they have a job.”
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