One month truce between SIA and pilots

Singapore Airlines has reached a temporary agreement with its pilots on no-pay leave while continuing with negotiations with the Airline Pilots Association-Singapore (Alpa-S).

SIA wants its pilots to take up to three days no-pay leave a month as it cuts capacity and parks aircraft, while the union says that its members should not take more than the one day that the airline has asked its other staff to take.

Singapore's Ministry for Manpower brokered the temporary agreement. This allows SIA to begin implementing the agreements it had sealed with its other staff unions earlier from 1 May, given that these deals were contingent on its talks with Alpa-S.

Given that both SIA and the Alpa-S have had a long history of disagreements, and it remains to be seen if this temporary agreement will lead to a permanent one. There might yet be another sting in the tail. Watch this space.