Airline workers deserve a better go

 NATIONAL carrier Air Niugini’s move to lay off 250 workers makes one wonder whether the state-owned airline is really justified in this course of action. 

The reason given for this retrenchment exercise was to reduce costs. This is a little strange, because Air Nuigini has far and away been the leading provider of air transport in this country since independence. 

Does the management of expect the workers to accept that due to poor sales figures or rising costs of running national airline a part of the workforce will have be made redundant? 

Perhaps the management should also look at trimming their numbers and cutting on some of their expenses. 

Air Niugini chief executive officer Simon Foo and State Enterprises Minister Ben Micah should state clearly why the airline is in the position it is today despite easily 

being the country’s leading carrier. 

With the state having a sizable share in the company surely there can be some consideration for the workers. 

Thankfully, the National Airline Employees’ Union has not taken a backward step on this matter. 

They have called for solidarity and unity among their numbers to fight the plans by the management. 

General secretary of the National Airline Employees Union Emmanuel Pilai said their concerns would be pursued through proper channels of appeal and arbitration and he was confident that a positive result would be gained. 

The airline union has also received support from fellow unions. The PNG Teachers’ Association has got behind their compatriots in the aviation industry. 

“We are here to give our moral and fraternal support to our colleagues at the airline workers’ union,” PNGTA general-secretary Ugwalubu Mwana said. 

The issue at the heart of this move by the management does not appear to be one of the workers being a liability to the airline, in the sense that their performance has hindered the company’s ability to provide a safe and affordable service to the public. 

Rather this is more to do with business. 

They need to cut down on costs find parts of the company that are expandable. 

Unfortunately, management has not taken into account that workers who are shown the door for no 

good reason will stand their ground and fight, and so they should. 

Air Niugini’s inability to reap a sizable annual profit from its domestic operations says more about management’s failures than it does about the workers.

It is hard to fathom how a state-owned entity cannot keep its head above water given that it enjoys an advantage over its nearest competitor and has a market share of around 90%. 

That should spell profit and revenue everyday of the week. 

If operational costs are bogging down the airline, then maybe some creative thinking can be used to get around these obstacles. 

Anything but telling people who have given years of their lives to the company that their services are no longer required because of cost cutting. 

Someone higher up the ladder did not do their job and so the workers at the bottom suffer the consequences. Job security is not the only issue here. 

How will having less workers on duty, particularly in an industry like aviation where safety and due diligence are of the utmost importance, affect the airline? 

Will the remaining workers be able to pick up the slack? 

Are these 250 workers really just surplus to requirements and is the airline merely looking for an excuse to unload that excess?  

The workers have pushed for answers themselves. 

The union members had asked that the management meet with all its employees to explain its position and measures to reduce costs. 

These conditions were in a letter presented to the management on Tuesday last week. 

According to a media report an official from the Air Niugini management team said their response to the national airline workers’ union has clarified all the issues raised. 

He said the management looked forward to working with the union and maintaining the cordial relations going forward and delivering services to the general public. 

We hope that an agreement can be reached that does not mean job losses but other cost-saving measures because Air Niugini has served the people of Papua New Guinea well over its five decades of existence.