Union hands THAI chief list of demands

Union hands THAI chief list of demands

Workers vow further strike if calls not heeded

The Thai Airways International (THAI) labour union met chairman Ampon Kitti-ampon yesterday to make a list of demands that stopped short of calling for his resignation.

If the demands are not discussed or met at THAI's next board meeting on Feb 8, the union will have to decide on further action, said Jaemsri Sukchoterat, the union's chairwoman.

The meeting follows a one-day strike by about 400 THAI ground service staff at Suvarnabhumi airport on Saturday. The stoppage delayed dozens of flights and affected hundreds of passengers.

The union said Mr Ampon should consider his future after confusing THAI staff with information concerning THAI's income and performance.

She said Mr Ampon had told staff that THAI posted a profit of 7 billion baht. The information had arrived from him before it was reported to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, she said.

Ms Jaemsri said that later Mr Ampon said airline management would pay a one-month bonus and boost staff salaries by 4%.

His announcement created confusion among staff, who were aggrieved by what they considered to be a poor offer which they say Mr Ampon was not in a position to make, as the board had not yet approved it. "The union doesn't want to

[directly] press Mr Ampon to resign but he should know what to do," she said.

The union also urged him to stop telling the public that if THAI staff at levels 1-7 are to receive a 7.5% pay rise as demanded by the union, the executives would have to lose out on their own pay hike, said Ms Jaemsri.

Performance-based special bonuses also should be increased from 200 million baht to 500 million baht, she said.

Mr Ampon didn't respond to the union's proposals at the meeting.

He only said he would forward the union's message to the THAI board at its Feb 8 meeting.

However, in separate interview later yesterday, Mr Ampon said the union did not urge him to consider what he should do or to resign.

"Why should I re-think what I should do? I haven't done anything wrong. I did my job the best way I could so that the company could pay bonuses this year," he said.

Ms Jaemsri said if the board refuses to take the demands seriously, the union's committee would have to decide whether to stage another strike.

THAI made a profit last year but a significant amount of the money had been wasted on non-essential things or spent unwisely by the board, which was unacceptable to the staff, she said.

As for the performance bonus request, Ms Jaemsri said the union wanted the board to raise the extra money from the budget set aside for advertising and public relations.

This budget was prone to abuse, she said.

In 2011, the budget for performance bonuses was 100 million baht, but certain staff members were paid only 300 baht to 400 baht which was unfair, she said. Meanwhile, certain executives enjoyed a far larger portion of this budget, Ms Jaemsri said.

Transport Minister Chadchat Sittipunt, meanwhile, said THAI would have to formulate an emergency plan in the event of another strike.

A sufficient number of staff should be on hand to work immediately if another strike as called, he said.

He said he would also see whether the Royal Thai Air Force could step in to provide cover in case Suvarnabhumi flight operations are affected again.

Mr Chadchat said the strike violated regulations and resulted in significant losses to THAI. Some of the staff involved must be punished according to the company's rules, he said.

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