Ties between SriLankan management and pilots nosedive
The ‘cat and mouse fight’ continues in SriLankan Airlines, the virtually bankrupt national carrier.
The latest round between the management and the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) comes after the suspension without pay of senior pilot Sujith Jayasekera. He is accused of having refused to subject himself to a breathalyser test ahead of operating a flight to Thailand’s Swarnabhoomi International Airport. Pilots had been told of such checks after one of their colleagues was found being over the permitted blood alcohol level and unfit to operate a flight from Frankfurt to Colombo.
Though refusing to undergo the test, Captain Jayasekera was allowed to fly the Airbus A330 aircraft. It was only thereafter, he was directed to return to Colombo as a passenger and placed under interdiction. An investigation is now under way and Captain Jayasekera has said that the team that conducted the test was not properly constituted. The test was being conducted by security guards.
On Thursday, the APGSL sent out an urgent SMS to its member pilots. It made clear that they would ‘work to rule’ until Captain Jayasekera was re-instated. This is what the SMS said: “As a result of the decision taken by the Membership at the EOGM (Extraordinary General Meeting) held on 5th September 2016 with regard to the unfair suspension of Captain Sujith Jayasekera and a lack of progress or commitment from the Management to resolve the matter; the Membership of the ALPGSL will hereby: Adhere to their public rosters. Not accept flights on their off-days. Refrain from extending FDP (Flight Duty Period) “The above Membership mandate will commence with immediate effect from 0001 hrs on 09 of September 2016. “As an ALPGSL Member you are reminded and requested to honour the overall Membership mandate till such time the Exco communicates otherwise. Should there be any operational clarification required during this time, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Exco.” The note has been signed by the Guild’s President Renuke Senanayake. In a bid to get the ALPGSL to re-consider its decision, the Airline’s Flight Operations Chief Rajind Ranatunga has told pilots that the image of the national carrier should be protected when it is about to embark on a public-private partnership.
On Friday, Captain Ranatunga said in a message: “Further to the point brought forward by the Pilots Guild where there was dissatisfaction in the personnel conducting the test. It was mutually agreed and finalised that the company’s trained nurses will carry out all testing with the on duty safety officer as an observer, and there will be no involvement of the security personnel in the testing procedure. The security personnel will only be involved in the event a staff member needs to proceed to a hospital for the purpose of undergoing the “Blood alcohol test”. The FSI will be amended in due course. In relation to Captain Jayasekera’s incident and subsequent inquiry, I would like to confirm that as per the company’s laid down procedure of dealing with such incidents, the relevant reports have been submitted and the inquiry will be completed by the 27th of this month.”
Travel operators are concerned that a prolonged disruption of operational activity may prompt the Government to seize the opportunity to close down the airline. Relations between the SriLankan Chairman Ajith Dias, its CEO Suren Ratwatte and the Pilot’s Guild have nosedived over the past months.