PETALING JAYA: Three unions in MALAYSIAN AIRLINE SYSTEM BHD (MAS) representing about 15,000 employees will hold a picket over the national carrier’s share swap exercise with AirAsia.
Union representatives said on Thursday, Sept 8 they felt the deal would not benefit MAS, and that they believed the carrier’s new management team was planning the creation of a new brand within the airline as part of a union-busting move.
“We do not agree with the collaboration or the move to establish the new airline Sapphire (under the deal),” said MAS Employees’ Union (Maseu) president Alias Aziz.
“What we saw from the collaboration will benefit AirAsia and also there is a rumour that there a new airline company will be set up from the collaboration.
“We already have MASwings Firefly and Mas. So, what is the purpose of wanting to establish a new airline company,” he told reporters during news conference at Maseu office in Subang Jaya.
Maseu is joining the Airline Workers Union of Sarawak and Air Transport Workers Union of Sabah in threatening industrial action in the attempt to stop the share-swap from going ahead.
Alias also questioned why Maseu was not invited to give their opinions on the decision of the Mas supreme management about the collaboration.
MAS and AirAsia had on Aug 9 entered into the collaboration agreement to establish a framework to explore the possibilities of mutual co-operation.
To strengthen the collaboration and to further align their respective interests in AirAsia and MAS, Tune Air and Khazanah Nasional — the major shareholders of AirAsia and MAS respectively, have agreed to acquire from each other existing shares of both companies. – Bernama
MASEU should also look into the ways in which 70% of the share in the very profitable arm of MAS, MAS Catering Sdn Bhd, was cannibalised during the period when Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusof was the MD of MAS and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the PM.
The modus operandi of the cannibalisation of MAS Catering Sdn Bhd was similar to this secret share swap. The full details of how the 70% of the MAS Catering Sdn Bhd’s share was cannibalised will be posted in a day or two if there is no new important events in the interim.
In the interim, I call upon the PM, YAB Datuk Seri Najib, to immediately step in to stop the said dirty secret share swap deal and remove the newly appointed directors of MAS who have no or very little experience in the aviation industry like Mohammed Rashdan Yusof of BinaFikir Sdn Bhd fame. By the way BinaFikir Sdn Bhd was responsible for WAU in 2002 and thereafter it was sold to Maybank Bhd for RM8 million in, of course, 2008, during Tun Abdullah’s Administration.
NEXT CHANGE / AKAN DATANG – New Posting: How MAS Catering Sdn Bhd was cannibalised and given to a company, which was related to and/or controlled by Datuk Ibrahim bin Ahmad Badawi!
For related postings please read in HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE.
