The management of SriLankan Airlines yesterday did not extend the employment contracts of six of its cabin crew in keeping with a new policy decision taken to not extend the current contracts of over 300 flyers who joined the airline within the last three years.
This policy decision taken by the management of the national carrier comes barely hours after an unelected body of the Flight Attendants Union sent out an SMS initiating their first step of industrial action against the national carrier.
An SMS was sent out by a group of cabin crew led by Cabin Manager Adrian Cramer in retaliation to the airline’s management refusing to recognize them as the official body of the Flight Attendants Union. This was as this group assumed power in December of 2015, violating their very own constitution and taking over the functions of the FAU without holding a constitutionally required election.
The message read ” Dear Member a unanimous resolution was passed by over 250 members at the EGM to strictly adhere to the following 1.Fly your roster (Do not fly on your off day) 2.Do not use discretion (due to inducing of fatigue to operate a safe flight) All are requested to carry their printed roster on all flights.your EXCO”.
A very senior manager of the airline speaking to Colombo Telegraph on condition of anonymity as he is barred from speaking to the media said ” we will not let the airline’s business plan suffer in anyway especially with the threat of cabin crew going on strike. We have taken counter measures to ensure that not a single flight will be cancelled as our valued customers come first. Mihin Lanka cabin crew are going to be trained shortly to operate the Sri Lankan Airlines A330 aircraft as well. Cost is a serious factor and we are looking into it. The airline is considering recruiting more cabin crew through Mihin Lanka to fly exclusively on certain Sri Lankan Airline routes especially to Europe, which will drastically reduce the operating cost to these destinations. We are left with no choice now as the FAU has violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by sending out this SMS and initiating industrial action. This leaves the management with no choice but to also look at the CBA clauses that were signed previously. Some of those are shocking where certain cabin crew are paid almost Rs 100,000 to merely operate a 48 hour duty to Europe and back. Mind you this is besides getting paid their monthly salaries. This is absurd. Also they are the only staff in the airline who gets paid when on annual leave too”.
Fearing a further backlash from the cabin crew of Sri Lankan Airlines the secretary of the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka Capt. Anura Abeysekara sent out an email to all the pilots. This was to remind them of who is the ultimate decision maker on board according to the Flight Operators Manual approved by H.M.C.Nimalasiri Director General Civil Aviation and CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka.
Captain Abeysekara’s email is as follows:
From: Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka <xxxxx@xxxxx>
Date: May 25, 2016 at 14:47:25 GMT+3
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: FDP Extension
Dear Member,
A gentle reminder that as per FOM 8.4.14, extension of FDP is at the sole discretion of the Commander.
Refusal by any crew member to abide by a Commander’s discretion to extend FDP, shall be considered as direct insubordination.
Thank you
Capt. Anura Abeyasekara
Secretary – ALPGSL
Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka,
216/45, Diyawanna Place,
Welikada, Rajagiriya.
Sri Lanka.
snowden Edward Asange / May 28, 2016
DAMN GOOD… these waiters n waitresses in the sky ..were thinking they r ALL that…put em in place,…,
Goes an old saying…
Boss is ALWAYS right..,even if he/she is wrong…
he/she calls the shots…
now let the HIGH FLYING CREW members come down to earth n experience REALITY…
Wake up smell the coffee….no more tea coffee or me…
/
Jagath Fernando / May 28, 2016
Most stewardesses are earning Rs 500,000 per month with salience.
Most pilots are paid RS 2-3 m per month with allowance.
Hope with new management after a JV is initiated it is expected that staff costs will be curtailed.
Also we are over staffed with nearly 275 staff per aircraft when it can be flown with 150.
/
Jagath Fernando / May 28, 2016
It should read as Rs 500,000 per month with allowances for stewardesses.
Look at the agreement Nishsntha signed with Flight Attendants Union and you will be shocked.
Cannot understand as to why specisl payments are required when you do turn around flights such as Indian cities or even Singapore.
/
vishvajith / May 29, 2016
Jagath, the question as to why the flight deck and cabin crew have to be paid allowances even if they do turn around flights have been discussed in the aviation industry.
Research has indicated, due to continuous flights, change of times, change of sleep patterns, cabin pressurization etc lead to loss of life span in these two work groups. In a normal carrier span, the flight deck loses 10 years and the cabin crew loses 5 years. This is why the industry compensates these two work groups at a higher rate than the rest.
Always enjoy reading your contributions to the forum.
/
Fred / May 28, 2016
Kick the whole bloody lot out and recruit fresh staff. There are a lot off good, educated, good looking, pleasant, prospective candidates in the waiting. Give them a chance and not some idiotic politician’s cronies. These buggers think that because they fly a few feet above the ground they belong to the high and mighty. No! they do not.
Alternatively scrap the whole airline. The country can do without one.
Adrian Cramer is a trouble maker and should be kicked out first.
/
andycap / May 28, 2016
Could not be said any better. Wonder if these morons were working for a middle east airline and done what they are doing, what the reaction would have been. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They would all have been kicked out lock, stock & barrel.
How can the country prosper, with morons like these wanting to chew everything they can lay their hands on like bloody rats.
There is nothing wrong with the airline other than that the innards are all rotten to the very core.
A good clean out without compassion and all will be working well after that.
Flush them all down the wc bowl.
/
CHANAKYAN / May 29, 2016
SRI LANKAN is incorrigible. What cannot be mended should be ended.
Lee Kwan Yew advised JR around 1978, not to venture into this pompous project at that stage. He is proved right. Sell it now and have an efficient airline to profit the nation.
There is no unrealism or indignity in retrospective correction.
/
Yahapalanaya / May 28, 2016
Does anyone in this forum has the wages and allowances received by staff of comparable regional airlines? Salaries offered to SriLankan folks should be fair regionalwise and Sri Lanka people should not be burden in meeting the unsustainable tax free componsation packages of the air line flying as well as ground crews as I don’t see any special values these people bring to the company to justify high wages.
/
Govinda / May 28, 2016
SriLankan Airlines Cabin Crew In Hot Water After ‘Work To Rule’ Threat
Kicking them out is not the solution to the problem, make them re-sign and agreement with no form of unions to be formed and work according to the roster produced by the higher ups.
/
Upuk / May 29, 2016
Bull shit…
Did anyone Eran Wickremaratne’s pronouncement that previous heads of Sri lankan had no airline experience? Did he read the resumes of the present management? These jackasses think we are also jackasses..
They just discovered the rackets regarding flight allowances? How did they manage to pay them all these years.
We are the idiots who are listening to all this, and still hoping things will change.
Wonder who is going to have the last laugh!
/
Eagle eye / May 29, 2016
It is important to highlight the Salaries paid for Chairman/CEO and Director Sunil peris . These are the three Who will mess up wholesale. I could gurantee all readers the three will survive only for 3 more months. By end August the 3 disgrace will have to pack n just get lost.
Further there would be a discussion that would be fixed soon on SriLankan affairs will be a live telecast and we have more information regarding new corruption/ transfers of senior mangers and replace others of their choice to facilitate corruption will all be discussed in this live telecast. Some breaking News of New items purchased with back door commissions and those items not according to required specifications loosing millions and ordered again, just wasting public funds.
The paradise soon will end up if these three and another inefficient board director is not removed.
Ha Ha soon we can see the corrupt management will be asked to leave. This is my gurantee.
/
Colin / May 29, 2016
Didnt i warn youll so in the CT report that TU action was going to be initiated. Ask your Mr.Cramer who led youll to form his own airline and take youll aboard.
/
Hero My3 / May 29, 2016
[Edited out]
/
Jim K / May 30, 2016
send Adrian cramer & [Edited out]
/
Jim K / May 30, 2016
send Adrian cramer & his billy boys home
/
Ex UL crew / May 30, 2016
Firstly the UL cabin crew deserve to earn what they earn as it is in par with international carriers which is similar to what pilots earn. You cannot benchmark the role of a cabin crew with any domestic profession as that would be comparing apples to oranges. However I do not agree with the secretary of the guild making a statement that could jeopardize airline safety “Refusal by any crew member to abide by a Commander’s discretion to extend FDP, shall be considered as direct insubordination”
Discretion to extend FDP is a decision that an individual crew makes based on fatigue levels and previous duty periods. It’s the Commanders responsibility to consult the crew prior to extending FDP, if the FOM states that “extension of FDP is at the sole discretion of the Commander” this is a serious safety hazard as cabin crew who are fatigue could be forced to extend FDP. I believe the DGCA H.M.C.Nimalasiri should give this another thought.
/
Loku Putha / May 31, 2016
It is purely for this reason that it is termed “Commanders Discretion to extend FDP” my friend. The Commander MAY take into consideration the circumstances of the rest of his crew but the final AUTHORITY and DISCRETION lies with him and him alone. That in itself ensures safety of the entire operation, the aircraft and more importantly the passengers. Try not to twist regulations and definitions to benefit your agenda buddy. These things have not been put into place overnight. Any refusal to abide by the direct order of a Commander is INSUBORDINATION and its best that these people realize that before someone gets charged for it and dealt with legally. These REGULATIONS are there for a reason and formed by the ultimate governing body of civil aviation (ICAO). Not by some twit walking up and down the aisle serving chicken/fish while thinking that he is God’s gift to aviation. We all know that some cabin crew have a cactus up their posteriors when it comes to these sort of things. If the FAU were so interested about fatigue, they should have signed the operators scheme instead of complaining about it. All this kala bala is because the company is now making the cabin crew do turn-arounds through most places in the Middle East and the East because you all refused to sign the operators scheme. So no more layovers and therefore no more layover allowances and no way of continuing the plethora of other side businesses some of the cabin crew are known for.
Sad thing is, the reputation and image of the majority of the decent blokes in the cabin crew is also being run through the gutter and being tarnished thanks to idiots like Cramer, Elseworth and the goons.
/
YakkalaSimon / May 30, 2016
Gamey Lathas recruited BY MR regime. Overrated, not too professional and will not be missed.
/
Dan Fernando / June 1, 2016
That has nothing to do with them being coming from Game gode, but the levels and trainings given to them.
Dont you guys know the facts about lanken profesisonals across the country today ? Most of them coming from rural backgrounds. So called big mouth of MEDICAL association – Dr Herath the secretary who knows nothings but have no proper education even if he is a medical doc. He does not know the least about that medical professionals are to serve the nation not to fight or do politics upon any hidden powerful hands.
Go to anywhere, where professionals are there, majority of them are coming from Gode.
You guys making efforts to attack them this way is like UDA BALAGENA Kela gahanawa wage… if my mother would have been alive, she could explain it better. Guys be right to change the common opinion of the day- that can then lead us to success be it in Srilanken or other companies.
/
Ramzi Raheem / May 31, 2016
Srilankan is now down right rotten and cannot be saved.Just close the dam thing down and send the staff packing off..
/
snowden Edward Asange / May 31, 2016
Ahhh ex pilot of SL now flying for Singapore. Airlies…stating the right thing.. weldine m8….
I Remember the…I’D RATHER BE FLYING…bumper sticker… ( ^·^ )
/
Ex UL crew / May 31, 2016
With all due respect Loku Putha, I am assuming you are one of those disgruntled UL pilots who is jealous that cabin crew are earning well. The so called twits who walk up and down the aisle are the twits who save passengers lives in case of an emergency, so get that that into your thick head. I work for an airline as well and am conversant on FDP extension and fatigues related issues. If you do have time read ICAO Annex 6, attachment A, 4.7.3.4, on the what PIC discretion means and let me know if the world “sole discretion” is mentioned at all?
Lastly if you are actually a UL pilot you need to attend a comprehensive CRM course
/
Loku Putha / May 31, 2016
You do really amuse me EX UL crew! In case of what emergency exactly do the twits save the lives of the passengers? When an engine disintegrates the twits save the lives of passengers is it? When there is a structural failure the twits save lives? Or the countless other technical emergencies that could take place? Yes I am a UL pilot and we have all seen the ditching drills and how the twits scream in utter fear when they have to jump into the deep end of the pool whilst simulating a water ditching! We have all seen how many of the twits would be rendered absolutely useless in these “drills”! So forget a real emergency!
“4.7.3.4 PIC should be satisfied that all members of the crew required to operate the aeroplane consider themselves fit to do so.” Do you have a problem with the grasp of the language or do I? Who makes the decision to extend? The PIC or the twit? If the twit is unfit to fly the twit will be relieved of his duty and passengered back to base. If the twit disobeys the authority of the PIC because he is on “work to rule” the twit will be relieved of his duty, passengered back to base and then charged with insubordination.
EU-OPS 1.085 3. PIC shall have authority to give all commands he/she deems necessary for the purpose of securing the safety of the aeroplane and of persons or property carried therein;
While you are at it, go ahead and read ICAO Annex 2 section 2.4 too. See if you can get your grey matter going.
CRM? Truly? We all know the CRM SOME of you twits practice! Like spitting in the tea and food served to the pilots. So let’s not open that can of worms in the public!
/
Loku Putha / May 31, 2016
And why in the world would we as pilots, be jealous of what you cabin crew earn?! That’s just your personal insecurity raising its ugly head because you know how you all have wangled that money and held our company to ransom at every turn! Actually, yes we pilots are to blame to a certain extent because we all saw how you people raped and plundered our company together with the previous management, yet we chose to ignore it. Not because we couldn’t put a stop to it if we wanted to but because it didn’t concern us.
If you want to talk about your salaries, why don’t you publicize the FAU CBA? Your “Tea allowances”, “Special premium allowances” etc……. Let the public see it and decide if it’s industry norms or not! After all that, yet again you hold the company to ransom and endanger the livelihoods of the thousands of families that are dependent on our airline. You all have been spoilt rotten by the previous management and its high bloody time you got a harsh wake up call.
/
Leelawathie / June 1, 2016
You may be right.
European Pilots dont behave such like ours.
They are just like normal other professionals. What makes is this distinction in the poor country is lack of enough pilots to do the job.
Lack of enough doctors make the arrogant.
And people s thoughts should change the paradigm else, Pilots will stay being arrogant the way theyhave been.
As a srilanken travels often across the europe by EU flights (German wings, Airberlin, Lufthansa, British airways and several other EU domestic), I know perfectly the manner these men get on with the others.
/
chuti putha / June 1, 2016
Cabin crew deserve a better pay.
Pilots need a better pay
/
L1011 / June 1, 2016
Chuti, Pilots don’t need a better pay. We are very happy with what we have, even though we are below par in comparison to the rest of the world.
Cabin crew of course are clearly unhappy for some reason even though they are paid better than most other cabin crew from a wide cross-section of national carriers.
/
Ex UL crew / June 1, 2016
Loku Putha, now that you say you are a pilot, I believe you got the point I was trying to make and I clearly understand where you’re coming from. It’s sad to see that there is a rift between pilots and cabin crew as this was never there before. When the cabin crew went on strike in May 2004 we got the fullest support from the guild, looks like the working relationship has totally changed now.
I just hope that everybody concerned could put all petit vengeances aside and work together to resurrect our airline. Currently even if UL gets a windfall of money and become financially stable, we will still not be able to move forward unless there is a drastic change in the attitude and mentality of both pilots and cabin crew
/
Loku Putha / June 1, 2016
The rift was created by your friends in the current committee of the FAU my friend. Not by the Guild. Perhaps you should ask them why. Drastic changes in the attitude and mentality of Pilots is not required. We have always kept and will always continue to keep the Company before ourselves. Some, and I really do mean some, of the cabin crew seriously need to wake up and smell the coffee brewing. They’ve had a good run with the previous management but they can’t expect to be babied and mollycoddled in the same way now. Our priority is to resurrect this Company and ensure the safety of our jobs and try and make it a National treasure instead of a burden.
/