Air Asia, revoke the suspension of the pilot - everyone has a right to comment on MH370

Workers are not slaves or akin to slaves. When they enter into an employment relationship, they only agree to do the work they are employed for. They do not surrender their human rights and other freedoms. Workers have every right to their freedoms and human rights. And, mind you this includes the right to highlight the wrongdoings and violation of rights of even their employer.

Employers do not control the mind and actions of workers. As workers, they have every right to fight against the violation of rights of fellow workers, and all other workers. They have a right to lobby for better worker rights, join any political party, etc... They have the right to comment about things happening outside their employment duties.

It is shocking that Air Asia X even issued such a directive that its employees are not to comment on MH370. This is unacceptable. As it is the Malaysian government has already limited a lot of our freedoms and rights, and now private corporations are also trying to 'control' their workers in matters not directly linked to the work they are employed to do. 

This is not the first time, this has been highlighted in Malaysia. After the last General Elections, a government-link company also terminated 18 workers because they, during the election period, handed in a memorandum to contesting candidates to get their commitment to worker and trade union rights. Of course, workers would only want to support people who support worker and trade union rights, and the advancement of these rights. Corporations have their monies and 'goodies', but all a worker has when it comes to government is his/her vote. See earlier post:- Now 51 groups call on DRB HICOM TO RESPECT THE CITIZENS’ RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS IN MALAYSIA

Air Asia X must immediately revoke the suspension of the said pilot (see Malaysiakini report below), and never again try to hinder or deny  the rights and freedoms of any other employees.

Are Malaysians expected to silently not comment or share their views. 

Air Asia X apparently wants this - their workers are expected not to say anything about MH370? What about expressing hope and support to the victims? What about extending their prayers? Air Asia X expects its employees to be seen as cold and unconcerned about MH370

AirAsia suspends pilot for questioning Malaysia authorities over MH370

 

Travellers walking past the AirAsia service counter at Changi Airport Terminal 1. An AirAsia X senior first officer has been suspended from duty for suggesting in a Facebook message that the Malaysian authorities had withheld information pertaining to the search for flight MH370, Malaysiakini reported. -- ST FILE PHOTO:  JAMIE KOH

KUALA LUMPUR - An AirAsia X senior first officer has been suspended from duty for suggesting in a Facebook message that the Malaysian authorities had withheld information pertaining to the search for flight MH370, Malaysiakini reported.

AirAsia group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes confirmed the suspension on Tuesday night.

"AirAsia X senior first officer has been suspended pending investigation as company policies were broken in Facebook posting," Mr Fernandes wrote on Twitter.

AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Rani Osman added that the first officer failed to observe a "specific directive" to avoid making public comments on the ongoing search for MH370's wreckage in the southern Indian Ocean.

AirAsia X is the long-haul arm of Malaysia's profitable low-cost carrier AirAsia.

The pilot, whose identity was withheld, criticised the Malaysian government in a Facebook post for attempting to bring premature closure to the crisis.

"Is there any concrete proof that MH370 has indeed crashed?! It's not right to simply assume when you have no evidence to back up your claims!

"(The) supposed debris... isn't even confirmed to be from the plane yet! Show us the proof then tell us MH370 has crashed.

"Till then, stop hiding facts! It's obvious to even a blind man that there (are) tons of info the government definitely knows and isn't sharing yet!" the pilot wrote.- Straits Times, 26/3/2014, AirAsia suspends pilot for questioning Malaysia authorities over MH370

AirAsia X suspends pilot over MH370 remarks

 

MH370 AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of budget carrier AirAsia, has suspended a pilot for comments he made online on the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, pending a domestic inquiry.

"AirAsia X senior first officer has been suspended pending investigation as company policies were broken in Facebook posting," group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes said in a tweet last night.

Air Asia X chief executive officer Azran Rani Osman added that the first officer contravened a "specific directive" not to publicly comment on the ongoing search.

"(There is a) specific directive to our crew on public comments on MH370. (There is a) duty of care not to be hurtful," he wrote in response to Fernandes' tweet.

When contacted, Air Asia X said that it would not be releasing any further details on the matter.

The AirAsia top guns' comments come as several blogs circulated a picture of an AirAsia X pilot's Facebook post where he criticised the government for declaring that MH370 fell into the Indian Ocean.

"For f**k's sake lah... Is there any concrete proof that MH370 has indeed crashed?! It's not right to simply assume when you have no evidence to back up your claims!

"(The) supposed debris... isn't even confirmed to be from the plane yet! Show us the proof then tell us MH370 has crashed.

"Till then, stop hiding facts! It's obvious to even a blind man that there (are) tons of info the government definitely knows and isn't sharing yet!" the posting reads.

The pilot, whose identity is being withheld by Malaysiakini pending his comments, has disabled his Facebook account. It earlier showed that he is a senior first officer at AirAsia.

His other social media accounts show him in a pilot's uniform and features a video about his love for flying, which also includes various shots of AirAsia planes.

On Monday night, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said that MH370 "ended" in the Indian Ocean, far from any possible landing strips, based on calculations using satellite data.

MAS chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said that MAS concludes that there are no survivors as it the area it likely fell is thousands of nautical miles from any land mass and is one of the roughest seas in the world.

"It has been 17-18 days," he told reporters despondently.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane at 1.30am on March 8. Satellite data shows that the last "ping" from the air craft was eight hours later, putting it at the southern Indian Ocean.

It had enough fuel to fly for eight hours, and had departed from KLIA at 12.41am.

No debris has been found. - Malaysiakini, 26/3/2014, AirAsia X suspends pilot over MH370 remarks