Thai Airways ground staff threatens strike

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Thai Airways Ground Staff Threatens Strike
By Khaosod English

Thai Airways union activist files a letter to a representative of the national airlines during a protest in front of Thai Airways HQ, 26 March 2014

BANGKOK: -- Over 4,000 employees of Thai Airways have threatened to call a strike if their demand for increased wage and welfare are not met by 1 April, their union representatives say.

The staff serve in kitchen service and ground operations of the Thai national airlines, and are contracted under Wingspan Services Company, a subsidiary of Thai Airways.

3,000 of the 4,038 employees of the company receive their wages on daily basis, or at around 315 baht per day, which is too low to meet their financial burdens, said Mr. Samart Pantang, chairman of the company union.

Mr. Samart also complained that the employees receive little or no welfare from the company.

According to Mr. Samart, he has requested the company for higher salary, better welfare, overtime payment to workers in the night shift, and monthly salary for all employees instead of the daily wage.

He said the demands will be put under negotiation between representatives from Thai Airways and the union leaders on 27 March at the Ministry of Labour. If Thai Airways failed to accept the union's demands by 1 April, Mr. Samart, the employees will immediately organise a strike, though he did not say how long the action will last.

Mr. Chokchai Panyayong, caretaker director of Thai Airways, said the employees of Wingspan Company have the rights to engage in strike, but their action must stay within the boundary of the laws, and added that the employees also reserve the rights to take any legal action against the strike agitators.

The threat of strike is the latest incident to hit the Thai flag carrier, which has seen its revenues dwindling in recent months due to decrease in passengers.

In a board meeting with ACM Prachin Chantong, who was recently appointed new chairman of the Thai Airways executive board, Mr. Chokechai said the average passenger-cabin rate of January-March this year is 70% filled, a decrease from the rate of 80% in the same period last year.

As the meeting took place, over 200 Thai Airways union activists and employees rallied in front of the airlines headquarters, demanding ACM Prachin to fire Mr. Amphon Kitti-Amphon from the Thai Airways exective board.

Source: http://en.khaosod.co.th/detail.php?newsid=1395912066


-- Khaosod English 2014-03-27

[Dr Bruce]

Last time they went on strike the food actually improved. I am flying Thai 4 times in the next 2 weeks, I hope the food supplier stikes and Thai have to go out and buy Sandwiches for us.

[Mango Bob]

The union wants to go on strike for more money when the company is losing millions of baht. Smart move union. Improve your service get people to fly with you again and then demand more money.

Edited March 27, 2014 by metisdead
Bold font removed, please do not make it a habit to post in bold fonts.

[Darcula]

Considering TG provides most ground services, looks like Suvarnabhumi will be shutdown after all.

[transam]

The union wants to go on strike for more money when the company is losing millions of baht. Smart move union. Improve your service get people to fly with you again and then demand more money.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, considering Thai Air fares are very similar to most airlines but staff of other airlines are paid a zillion times more, how can you make this assumption. ? Where is the revenue going, ever thought of that ?..........

[bigbamboo]

They pay 315 baht to 3000 staff on a daily basis?

Is this an airline or a flying circus?

[Bel Mondo]

Last time they went on strike the food actually improved. I am flying Thai 4 times in the next 2 weeks, I hope the food supplier strikes and Thai have to go out and buy Sandwiches for us.

Great comment, Dr. Bruce! Agree 100%!

Another fortunate by-product of the strike, is that we may not have to fly with this Airline and possibly wind up in the Indian Ocean like the recent Malaysia Airlines mystery.

But maybe I am not stating things correctly. We all know how Thais have a sense of duty, honor, and responsibility. Real Workaholics. The most responsible and dedicated culture in SE Asia. So I am sure no terrorists could board a Thai Airline Flight with all the safeguards in place at the airport. And I am sure all the Thai Pilots are 100% mentally intact and could never be bribed to put an airline down in Pakistan or elsewhere.

So I have obviously overstated the situation. I am so happy to live in a country with such responsible and dedicated people!

[BillyBobThai]

They pay 315 baht to 3000 staff on a daily basis?

Is this an airline or a flying circus?

By paying a million baht cash daily just think of the chance for graft. All of that lovely cash.

[espinoza]

The union wants to go on strike for more money when the company is losing millions of baht. Smart move union. Improve your service get people to fly with you again and then demand more money.

The employees are not the ones that makes the company loosing money. The flag carrier of Thailand should keep international standards in their way to pay all their employees, not only the pilots. Thai Airways are in deep shit now. The customers all around the world will very soon know about Thai Airways treatment of their emploees. Maybe they has to collect "tips" onboard the airplanes. Thai Airways are going in the wrong dorection.

[shaurene]

A couple of main points why Thai are losing a lot of money,

1: they have far to many ground staff. Check this out when in The main airport in BKK you see so many of their staff walking around doing nothing, at the end of a check in row down the bottom end you see 5-6 staff 2 or 3 doing some thing but the others nothing just talking and using their cell phones, they used to sort problems out when any of the staff at check in has a problem with a passenger. They used to take the payments for over weight but now you have to go the the main ticket office on 4.

2: they allow far to many free tickets to government workers, no other international air line does this the government should be made to pay for their people.

3: Find a real professional person from around the world to run the company, Thais only way out.

I was in top management for many years and if I was to run Thai my first things would be to trim the work force and ban free flights.

[rudolfvaselino]

They pay 315 baht to 3000 staff on a daily basis?

Is this an airline or a flying circus?

Imagine how much money they spent to quickly repaint the crashed Airbus......fort those tins & brushes you can pay a lot fo staff. ".....this is a requirement from the Star Alliance organisation. When there is a crash the company logo has to be removed as soon as possible....." Hiha !