MAS to cut staff after union talks

MAS to cut staff after union talks

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines may be allowed to cut its
workforce but only after holding discussions with its employees'
union, Bernama news agency reported on Monday.

The government would allow the airline's new management to
make the ultimate decision, finance ministry parliamentary
secretary Hilmi Yahya was quoted as saying by Bernama.

New chief executive Idris Jala is due to take over next month
after troubled times at the airline.

Hilmi's remarks follow a report that Malaysia Airlines planned
to slash the pay of its top managers from next month as part of
cost-cutting measures following disappointing quarterly results.

Malaysia Airlines chairman Munir Majid declined to comment,
saying an announcement, if any, "would be made at an appropriate
time".

However, in an internal memo that was leaked to the media last
week, Munir said the financial performance of the carrier --
which has some 22,000 employees -- was precarious and had become
a cause for concern.

The airline recently announced one of its worst ever quarterly
losses at 280.66 million ringgit (US$74 million) for the three
months to June, after a profit of 26.58 million ringgit a year
earlier. -- AFP