A dispute between the Singapore Airlines pilots' union and the carrier over base pay for Airbus A380 pilots will be resolved by Singapore's Industrial Arbitration Commission. If the airline succeeds it will have implications for all of its pilots.
The commission is due to hear the case in Singapore in the week beginning 23 April, says the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore.
ALPA-S says the dispute has arisen because SIA is proposing to pay A380 pilots the same as its Boeing 777 pilots, but less than its Boeing 747-400 flightcrews. The union says the A380 pilots should be paid more than the 747-400 pilots because the A380 is a larger aircraft. "Pay [should be] based on responsibility and what you are accountable for," it adds.
SIA will be the first airline to receive the A380, with its initial aircraft due in October.
The union says the dispute over base pay for A380 pilots has ramifications for other SIA pilots because it sets a benchmark that SIA might use for determining pay for pilots on other aircraft types.
While the union is arguing that bigger aircraft should equal bigger pay, the airline argues the current system of determining a pilot's pay according to the type of aircraft flown is outdated and makes it hard to get pilots to operate across aircraft types.
For more Airbus A380 related news, please visit our A380 page
Source: Flight International
