Nufam accuses MAS of neglecting crew’s safety and security
The union, in a statement, said crew members had been forced to travel to and from work on their own after a transport company outsourced by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) for the purpose had allegedly neglected its duties.
The union said complaints had been ignored and the situation had persisted for some time, with the company giving excuses of not having designated drivers or vehicles available during the late and odd hours.
"Where are their vans and drivers then? Too many excuses had been given to us and we are sick and tired of it," the union said. Nufam said it was told that crew members had no choice but to go to work on their own; and many of the female crew members had raised concerns over their safety.
"They are often taken advantage of when using the public transport. Female crew members said they get stared at by men while taking the cabs or trains," the union said.
Nufam said crew members had also been victims of snatch thieves, although the cases were not officially reported.
The union said the transport service called "E-Smart Cab" was supposed to pick up staff from their homes to ensure they arrived on time for work but this had not been happening.
Often, the staff had received text messages from the company, telling them to go to work on their own. As a result, they were forced to use public transport and arrived late at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
"This shows that there are neglected parts on the safety and security of these employees and the union is worried.
"MAS had spent millions on transport contracts to supply sufficient drivers, buses and vans for their staff to go to work but what is going on?
"We recall that those contracts had to supply 400 vans for pick-ups and send-offs for 3,500 crew members, and another 10 buses for shift staffs from Subang to KLIA."
Nufam claimed that even the buses had not been making the trips.
"We are not surprised that something had gone wrong in those contracts, and the management is very silent about it."
The union urged MAS's new owner, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, to investigate the transport contract and to terminate the contractor if the company was found to have violated the agreements stated in the deals.
"If the company have failed to honour the contract, why is MAS retaining its service, (even) after complaints by crew members and staff?"
Nufam said it had received similar complaints from female flight attendants of AirAsia and Malindo Air, who were scared of walking in open car parks while wearing their uniforms that "can be very striking at night and could also attract perpetrators".
The union urged the airlines to take the safety and security of their crew seriously.
"We need to do what we preach and be serious in safety and security matters. If airlines want to have female crew members, they must at least provide basic transport facility for them." – September 24, 2014, Malaysian Insider, Nufam accuses MAS of neglecting crew’s safety and security
No comments:
Post a Comment