Srilankan Chairman says salaries of top mgt cannot be disclosed due to “personal nature”
Srilankan Airlines Chairman Ajith Dias says the remunerations and benefits enjoyed by the airline’s top management cannot be disclosed due to their “personal nature” and assured that the salary bill of the senior management amounts to less than 1 percent of the total wage cost of the company.
A formal request was made through the Right to Information Act by the Airlines Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) for information regarding the benefits enjoyed by the top management of Srilankan as well as details pertaining to the agreements to lease new aircraft and their eventual cancellation. “Srilankan Airlines is a US $ 950 million (Rs.140 billion) company in terms of revenue and needs highly skilled and experienced management, employed at market rates in keeping with specialized companies both here and abroad. The chairman and the directors are not paid a salary or any allowances,” Dias said in a recent letter to employee unions of the airline. However, in Dias’ letter, dated December 15, addressed to five employee unions of the debt-ridden airline, did not mention anything about why details with regards to the aircraft lease agreements and their subsequent cancellation could not be given out.
The letter was a response to a letter by the unions dated December 12, 2017, which was copied to the President, Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers.
The letter was highly critical of the Srilankan management, directors and their inability to turnaround the airline.
It also blamed the top management and the board for compromising the livelihood of nearly 7,000 employees. Says salary bill of top mgt less than 1% of total wage cost of airline “The chairman and the directors not paid a salary or any allowances”- Dias Assures unions will be consulted when restructuring plan implemented