The protest is in response to the suspension of a senior pilot who the management claims had refused a breathalyzer test before departing on Bangkok flight on August 28. The Guild says there is evidence to prove Captain Sujith Jayasekara had not turned down the test, only questioned the ad hoc manner in which the management had introduced the procedure.

The Guild is due to officially announce their trade union action at a press conference today evening. A spokesman said that pilots routinely did extra flights and also worked on their off-days. All of this will now be suspended indefinitely. “The airline is functioning because pilots do that extra work,” he said.

The pilots will also refrain from “duty time extension”. “Every captain is legally allowed duty time of 12 hours,” the spokesman explained. “But if there is a flight delay, the captain can use his discretion to increase his duty time in order to operate that delayed flight. This is done to help the company. During our work-to-rule, we will not extend duty time.”

The Guild has written to the management calling for Captain Jayasekara to be reinstated and also for a proper procedure, in compliance with international standards, to be introduced with regards to breathalyzer tests.

“We call on the manager to stop the tests and to revisit the procedure along with the Director General of Civil Aviation, the company and the pilots,” the spokesman said. “We are all stakeholders.” The latest trade union action comes against the backdrop of worsening relations between the Guild and the SriLankan Airlines management.

(Sunday TImes)