The airline industry globally is suffering the most due to the coronavirus pandemic. The novel coronavirus, which first originated in China, has now spread to almost every corner of the world forcing governments to take tough actions.
Several countries have imposed national and international lockdown and put a ban on movement to prevent the transmission of the virus any further. Travel is banned by countries and no international flights are allowed to run.
Airline companies are forced to ground their fleet and some have either laid off employees or asked them to take unpaid leaves to prevent cash burn. Experts predict that if the pandemic lasts any longer than this month, then several carriers will have to file for bankruptcy.
Recently, according to a BusinessKorea report, South Korea’s largest carrier Korean Air has asked its 20,000 strong workforce at home and abroad to go on a rotation-based paid leave for a period of six months. The report mentioned that the company plans to finalize a detailed plan this week.
The report said that “the company reached the decision through emergency meetings with the ordinary employee union and the pilot union. Specific working conditions such as the salary level during the leave will be announced this week.”
It is being said that although the rotational leave program will last for six months, individual employees will leave work for three to four months. During this period of leave, employees are likely to receive about 70% of their salaries.
The Korean carrier is the recent airline to join the likes of British Airways and Cathay Pacific, who were forced by the ongoing crisis to take tough measures and look for options that would help them sustain the company in the longer run.
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