Union calls for end to expensive perks

The Thai Airways International union is calling for an end to travel perks for former board members and their families which cost the airline more than 100 million baht a year.

THAI union president Jaemsri Sukchoterat said yesterday if the airline appoints a new board, it should cancel the issue of free tickets, as well as free ticket upgrades, to former directors, their families and entourages.

She said the travel perks for former directors who no longer contributed anything to the airline's operations had become a major financial burden.

For example, on long-haul flights to London, the United States and Paris, many people received free ticket upgrades from economy class to first class simply by asking for favours from the airline's directors and other executives, said Mrs Jaemsri.

The union made its position clear amid reports of attempts to set up a new board to rescue the airline from its current liquidity crunch.

Former THAI chairman and ex-finance minister Thanong Bidaya has been tipped to head up a new board.

Mrs Jaemsri said the union would not mind if Mr Thanong was nominated and stressed that union members just wanted board members who would not practise nepotism, since this and political intervention have long complicated management problems within THAI.

The union's attention was focused on the board's policies and plans to restore THAI's financial viability and competitiveness, she said.

The union also called for a review of the airline's outsourcing plan as the union has found workers from outsourced firms fail to deliver good service.

Some outsourcing firms also involve influential people.

Mrs Jaemsri said about 7,000 workers from more than 100 outsourcing firms work for THAI and the airline pays them about seven billion baht a year in total.