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Vipaporn Jitsomboon

The Nation

Publication Date : 20-01-2013

About 300 members of Thai Airways International's labour union gathered at Suvarnabhumi Airport late Friday, demanding higher bonus and pay hike.

Union chief Chamsri Sukchotirat told reporters that THAI employees deserve bonus worth 2 months of salary, based on Chairman Ampon Kittiampon’s earlier remark on the airline’s satisfactory financial results in 2012. The airline just recently announced the one-month-salary bonus.

On the same ground, they demanded for a 7.5 per cent pay hike.

Chamsri said that there is no clarity yet on the annual pay hike.

She also demanded clarification from Ampon on both issues, saying that the board of directors takes these issues into their care not the management. As such, THAI President Sorajak Kasemsuvan, who rushed to meet the protesters, could not clarify the issues, she said.

"If the chairman ignores the employees’ demands and fails to clarify, he should be prepared for the consequence. I can’t guarantee that no employee would strike," she said.

THAI’s management earlier estimated that the airline would post the net profit of 6 billion baht (US$201.47 million) for 2012.