Today I Dedicate This Posting to Audra,Tony & The Kids.

An Open Letter to Mr. Idris Jalal

Dear Sir,

I am happy that you have managed to steer MAS into better times. It was a gargantuan task but you have proved your mettle. I have to say that I am proud of you. I definitely am not taking a patronising stand, should it be construed as such.

However, the purpose of this letter is to seek your indulgence to look at a matter that relates to this special day.
I have full confidence that if you have accomplished so much in such short a time you will be able to help Audra put back her live and the lives of her immediate family into some semblance of normalcy.

Audra Atkinson was an employee of MAS for 14 years. Her last designation, before termination in2003, for carrying a third child, was Chief Air Stewardess. Her records, I gather are impeccable. I make this appeal to you for the following reasons:

1. As a Christian, I appeal to you to take another look at her case. As a Catholic, Audra is bound by many religious restrictions, chief amongst which are the use of contraceptive pills and abortion.The Catholic Church has recommended to its faithful, the Rhythm Method, a birth-control method. However, because of the complex procedures, there has been cases where this safe method has resulted otherwise. You can imagine the dilemma she was in when she discovered that she had conceived and I am sure you can empathize with her in that state of mind. Abort or lose her job. MAS did not offer her any other choice. She chose God's law over a flawed Collective Agreement that has contravened a basic right of an individual. Was she wrong to get pregnant? She lost her job but she now has the beautiful Allyson Jade Yew.

2. Sir, as a former IR practitioner you are aware that a Collective Agreement besides spelling out polices and benefits is essentially a dollars and cents affair. As an IR man with a conscience you will agree that this "stop at two" ruling is not only not humane but unconstitutional. As a husband you would not want your spouse to be in such a bind that Audra was in. You were not involved in that CA process, but in your current position, you can make a difference.

3. Your illustrious rise to where you are is prove of your management style. In seminars, I always tell senior managers that their worth is their ability to keep turnover low and their ability to keep talented associates. I tell them that work environment and policies be conducive so that people bring their hearts to work and not leave them in the car park. I tell them that the culture of the company should be such that people WANT to come to work. I know that you are steering MAS in that direction. One of your senior employees told me that you have brought a breath of fresh air into MAS, but in the same breath, he said that he was waiting to spit on the grave of the former owner.

4. You have made giant steps to improve operations. The next task I know you will embark on is the nurturing of your human capital. I have travelled extensively and have alwas chosen MAS. Patriotism has never been the criteria, but excellent service is.

5. I have made two postings on my blog (http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com). The intention was to get a sense of what people thought of MAS. Some still have faith in MAS, others are angry over how employees are treated. Others are incensed and thinks that the Union has sold-out. It was Masaaki Imai, the Kaizen guru who urged management to listen to the complaints of customers and using their complaints to improve on products and services. With you at the helm, I am convinced that your concerted efforts will be directed at best-in-class management practices for MAS.

Sir, in this International Women's Day, I appeal to you, now that you know, to take a personal interest in Audra Atkinson-Yew's case.

I thank you.
(bernard khoo: ktswee@hotmail.com)