………reviews salaries
Airpeace airline has sacked some of its pilots including other workers because to the current financial crisis in the aviation industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To this end, the airline says it is also reviewing the salaries being paid to all staff which is now to reflect a 0%-40% cut of the former salary depending on the salary grades of every staff.
Management of the airline in a press release says, “the decision is a reflection of the negative impact of the pandemic on airlines and aviation worldwide and the airline is not immune from this challenges as the world is in trying times.”
According to the statement, the decision was taken for the greater good of the company and its almost 3000 workforce, the affected pilots inclusive.
It added that the airline cannot afford to toe the path of being unable to continue to fulfill its financial obligations to its staff, external vendors, aviation agencies, maintenance organisations, insurance companies, banks and other creditors hence the decision to restructure its entire operations with a view to surviving the times.
“The Management of Air Peace wishes to state that it has taken a very painful but rightful decision, in the circumstances the airline has found itself as a result of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial health, to terminate the employment of some of its pilots”.
It emphasizes that the pandemic has hit every airline worldwide so badly that it has become very impossible for airlines to remain afloat without carrying out internal restructuring of their costs, adding that anything short of what has been done may lead to the collapse of an airline as could be seen in some places worldwide during this period.
“Air Peace has never, for one day, ever owed salaries to its workers in its almost six years of existence, pilots inclusive. Rather the management of Air Peace has always been known to be increasing salaries of its employees periodically without being prompted by staff. In fact, in one fell swoop, Air Peace increased the salaries of pilots by over 100% in one day! Our salaries have always been paid even before the end of the month in the last 5 years!”
“This decision is inevitable under the circumstances we find ourselves. In order to protect the continuity of majority of the existing jobs and the possibility of creating new ones in future, the survival of the airline is of paramount importance. When everything comes back to normal those pilots affected today will have a place to come back to in future if they so wish.”
