Dr. Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal, the Managing Director and CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, has urged all passengers not to believe any false information about a pilots’ strike, stating that the cockpit crew members have not given any official ultimatum to call a walkout over their dissatisfaction with a pay cut.
“They (pilots) expressed their dissatisfaction with the continuation of compensation cuts in an official letter, but they didn’t even indicate that they may go on strike over the issue,” he told BSS in an exclusive interview today.
However, according to certain media reports citing BAPA leaders, Biman’s pilots will go on strike if their salaries, which were cut owing to the Covid outbreak’s consequences, are not restored by July 30.
Such comments by pilots in the media, according to Saleh, have tainted Biman’s economic interests, as the airline has begun to receive a considerable number of ticket cancellations on various routes, primarily to Middle Eastern countries.
The remuneration of pilots has grown this year compared to the previous year, according to Biman’s Managing Director, despite the state-owned carrier’s efforts to recover from a financial crisis brought on by the epidemic.
Biman has had to decrease the pay of all staff, including pilots, and reduce maintenance and operational costs as a result of the pandemic’s aftermath since July of last year.
Except for experienced pilots who have worked with the airline for more than five years, the airlines opted to reinstate their normal compensation structure on Thursday.
