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Crucial week for SriLankan-pilots dispute

11 Jan 2021

By Pamodi Waravita   The Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) is tentatively scheduled to meet the SriLankan Airlines management today (11) and Wednesday (13) to resolve a highly public dispute revolving around crew members who test positive while on duty. The ALPGSL is hoping the national carrier’s management agrees to provide private medical facilities for flight crew members who test positive for Covid-19 while on duty with the related medical expenses covered by the management, which are the pilots’ primary demands. Responding to a company communique sent on 9 January by the SriLankan Airlines management, the ALPGSL has scheduled the aforementioned meetings. The conditions put forth by the ALPGSL are as follows. Establish the company-facilitated private medical facilities with acceptable standards that shall be readily available in the event Flight Crew Members (FCM) test positive. Provide a laid-down procedure in co-ordination with the authorities as to how the said FCM will be taken care of, from the time he/she tests positive till he/she is released back to duty, inclusive of transport to and from the private medical facility. All expenses inclusive of quarantine/medical facility, antigen/PCR tests, and transport to be borne by the employer, as the presumption is made that the FCM contracted the virus whilst on duty. “On Duty” includes the possibility of being infected in the transport, the airport, inflight (cargo and passenger flights), during a layover, in the simulator, and any other points of contact, for work-related matters. The family members of the FCM who are affected shall also be entitled direct and unrestricted access to the private medical facility in the event that they test positive subsequent to an FCM testing positive. However, if it can be indisputably proven by means of a government or Medical Officer of Health (MOH) contact tracing mechanism that the FCM contracted the virus from the community and not while on duty, only medical expenses to up to the maximum entitled hospitalisation limit as per the company medical insurance scheme will be covered by SriLankan Airlines. The ALPGSL has stressed that the condition that the expenses be borne by the employer is non-negotiable. Speaking to The Morning yesterday (10), SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ashok Pathirage said that currently, the management had provided a hotel in Hikkaduwa for Covid-19-positive flight crew members. However, he said that he cannot comment on whether the expenses of family members of flight crew members would also be covered by the company. “We are still considering that issue, as we have to think about all our staff members,” Pathirage added. The ALPGSL decided on Friday (8) that its membership would refrain from undertaking flights on days designated as “off days” in the current roster after some crew members had been sent to quarantine facilities of poor quality, following which the SriLankan Airlines management had been accused of not taking proactive measures to ensure adequate facilities for crew members who test positive for Covid-19 while on duty. This was in response to a statement by the SriLankan Airlines management in which it accused the Executive Committee of the ALPGSL of launching trade union action, thereby causing severe disruptions, jeopardising the airline, and putting the development efforts of the country at risk. “Jointly, the Board, management, and dedicated employees of the airline vehemently condemn these untimely and selfish actions of the ALPG,” SriLankan said. SriLankan claimed that the “self-centred” Executive Committee of the ALPG was forcing its members to refrain from consenting to report to work on rostered off days by refusing the duty-call or by remaining unresponsive.


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