Remember when the coronavirus was called the Wuhan Virus? It was a simpler time, when cases worldwide were under 100,000 and you could lick strangers’ faces.
Reader: You mean you used to lick strangers’ faces?
We all have our hobbies, dear reader.
Back then, no one could have envisaged how devastating the pandemic would be or how it would affect nearly every aspect of our life.
It confined us to our homes, but it also took away the one thing that we value the most.
Reader: Quality time with relatives?
Worse…Â travel.Â
With so many countries closing their borders in an effort to contain their Covid-19 outbreaks, jetting off to a foreign land for a vacation is now a distant dream.
That’s bad news for travel lovers, but it’s even worse for those working in the airline industry.
Over 6,000 Employees from SIA Group Have Taken No-Pay Leave While Some Work In Other Places Like Gong Cha
Over 6,000 employees of the 27,000 staff from the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group have taken no-pay leave to help the company cope with the huge drop in revenue in the last few months.
According to The Straits Times, more than 1,700 employees, including ground staff, pilots and cabin crew, have also signed up for volunteer positions and jobs in external organisations.
The SIA group is made up of Singapore Airlines, Â SilkAir, and budget carrier Scoot.
Forced to operate at just 7% of its scheduled capacity as compared with before the pandemic, the group reported a $1.12 billion loss in the last quarter, their largest quarterly loss ever.
Some workers, like pilots and cabin crew, are still getting their basic pay, but aren’t getting flight allowances.
The group is also allowing its employees to seek employment elsewhere, in an effort to cut costs during the pandemic.
For staff members who are working in other organisations, SIA will supplement their salaries as long as they are earning less than their basic pay, which is around $1,500 for a cabin crew member.
Temporary & Secondary Jobs
A spokesman for SIA group said it has been helping its staff members get temporary and secondary jobs, including ambassador roles, and placements at public transport stations, social service offices, and hospitals.
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has also been helping staff members at the group find jobs, with the help of the Singapore Airlines Staff Union and Scoot Staff Union.
Some SIA Group crew members have been temporarily placed with employers such as FairPrice, People’s Association, and Gong Cha, reported ST.
At least some of them are closer to their first love?
Skills Training
The staff members who aren’t working with other organisations aren’t just binge-watching and binge-napping at home, of course.
Over 8,000 flying crew members have gone for skills training in the last four months, with the aid of the airlines and unions.
Pilots are using e-learning resources in addition to their simulator training to keep their skills current.
They will also have to undergo the required proficiency checks before flying again.
So, when will that be?
Leisure Travel Still Far Away
It was estimated that global travel will only recover to pre-Covid-19 levels in 2024.
SIA said that its passenger capacity will increase to about 8% by the end of October, which is not much, considering it’s operating at 7% now.
While we have opened our borders with countries like China and Malaysia for business and official travel, leisure travel might still be a long way away.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said that leisure travel may not even be possible this year, as we’re unlikely to see improvement in the global Covid-19 situation in the near future.
Oh well, at least we have bubble tea and cinemas, right?
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
