Confusions over Biman's manpower downsizing
Sunday, 8 July 2007
The council of advisers recently took a decision to convert the ailing Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier, into a public limited company (plc) and asked all concerned to downsize its manpower as early as possible. The decision was welcomed by different quarters though many who do know the internal problems of the Biman well had expressed serious doubt about the ultimate success of the government move. It has not taken too long a time for the Biman management to prove those doubters right.
In line with the council of adviser's directive, the Biman management decided to shed nearly 1400 jobs out of its total manpower strength of about 5000 and sought applications from its officials and employees willing to avail themselves of its voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). Surprisingly, the Biman authorities that earlier did not dare take disciplinary actions against any errant official or employee fearing backlash from the trade unions were overwhelmed by response to the VRS. Nearly 2200 officials and employees expressed their desire to go on voluntary retirement. It remains the job of the appropriate government agencies to see whether or not this unexpected level of response came as a part of a blueprint to torpedo the government's plan to make the Biman a PLC. However, the management has finally accepted VRS applications from 1863 officials and employees and sought necessary funds from the civil aviation ministry to settle their legal dues.
Meanwhile, in a surprise move the Biman management has decided to reemploy nearly 50 per cent- over 900- of the officials and employees, who have volunteered to opt out of their jobs, on a daily basis. Is it not strange for the Biman-the airliner having the world's largest fleet-manpower ratio-- to reemploy these officials within days from their voluntary retirement? Moreover, why should the airliner would be required to reemploy 900 people when it had earlier found more than 1400 people redundant? The Biman's fleet strength and workload suggest that the airliner can run well even shedding half of its existing manpower. Of course, the downsizing programme needs to be well-designed so that the organization can be purged of inefficient and corrupt elements. Allegations have already surfaced about irregularities in sending officials and employees on VRS. The latest move to hire the VRS employees on a daily basis would rather strengthen the hands of the trade union leaders who used to keep the management under constant pressure and dictate their terms. They would be saying that the short-sighted Biman management has prematurely sent so many employees on retirement when the Biman needed their service.
The first step towards Biman becoming a public limited company (plc), apparently, has not gone well because of questionable actions on the part of its management. There is no denying that manpower downsizing is the most difficult part of any organizational restructuring since it involves humans, not machines or any other lifeless objects. But those who are entrusted with the task of restructuring any organization need to be efficient and competent enough to complete their job skillfully. The government has to go a long way from here to the final and meaningful corporatisation of Biman. The journey, it seems, would not be smooth one. The beginning has not been auspicious. Possibly, there would be enough roadblocks to its future moves. This paper had cautioned the government earlier about the possible resistance it would be facing from the bureaucracy and other beneficiaries of long-drawn mismanagement and corruption in the national airliner. What is happening with the reemployment of VRS employees on a daily basis is a pointer to that fact.
In line with the council of adviser's directive, the Biman management decided to shed nearly 1400 jobs out of its total manpower strength of about 5000 and sought applications from its officials and employees willing to avail themselves of its voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). Surprisingly, the Biman authorities that earlier did not dare take disciplinary actions against any errant official or employee fearing backlash from the trade unions were overwhelmed by response to the VRS. Nearly 2200 officials and employees expressed their desire to go on voluntary retirement. It remains the job of the appropriate government agencies to see whether or not this unexpected level of response came as a part of a blueprint to torpedo the government's plan to make the Biman a PLC. However, the management has finally accepted VRS applications from 1863 officials and employees and sought necessary funds from the civil aviation ministry to settle their legal dues.
Meanwhile, in a surprise move the Biman management has decided to reemploy nearly 50 per cent- over 900- of the officials and employees, who have volunteered to opt out of their jobs, on a daily basis. Is it not strange for the Biman-the airliner having the world's largest fleet-manpower ratio-- to reemploy these officials within days from their voluntary retirement? Moreover, why should the airliner would be required to reemploy 900 people when it had earlier found more than 1400 people redundant? The Biman's fleet strength and workload suggest that the airliner can run well even shedding half of its existing manpower. Of course, the downsizing programme needs to be well-designed so that the organization can be purged of inefficient and corrupt elements. Allegations have already surfaced about irregularities in sending officials and employees on VRS. The latest move to hire the VRS employees on a daily basis would rather strengthen the hands of the trade union leaders who used to keep the management under constant pressure and dictate their terms. They would be saying that the short-sighted Biman management has prematurely sent so many employees on retirement when the Biman needed their service.
The first step towards Biman becoming a public limited company (plc), apparently, has not gone well because of questionable actions on the part of its management. There is no denying that manpower downsizing is the most difficult part of any organizational restructuring since it involves humans, not machines or any other lifeless objects. But those who are entrusted with the task of restructuring any organization need to be efficient and competent enough to complete their job skillfully. The government has to go a long way from here to the final and meaningful corporatisation of Biman. The journey, it seems, would not be smooth one. The beginning has not been auspicious. Possibly, there would be enough roadblocks to its future moves. This paper had cautioned the government earlier about the possible resistance it would be facing from the bureaucracy and other beneficiaries of long-drawn mismanagement and corruption in the national airliner. What is happening with the reemployment of VRS employees on a daily basis is a pointer to that fact.