Lee Kuan Yew’s well-known speech: How a protest by SIA pilots was stopped after a brief assembly with former PM of Singapore

In the sunshine of the continued farmers’ protest in India, the place farmers have dug their heels in even after the central authorities’s proposal to droop the farm payments for 1.5 years, demanding nothing greater than a whole and irreversible rollback of the legal guidelines, it’s price revisiting how the legendary Singaporean politician Lee Kuan Yew tackled the disaster bedevilling the Singapore Airlines in 1980.
About 4 a long time in the past, the Singapore Airlines(SIA) was in dire straits and its status had taken a extreme beating. Profits had been at an all-time low, the airways had received entangled in a battle with the pilot’s union, and allegations had been levelled towards it for meting out improper therapy to its passengers within the wake of a strike by Australian refuellers.
SIA’s pilot union launched an unlawful work-to-rule industrial motion that triggered the disaster
The major motive that fuelled the disaster was the dispute with the pilots’ union. The dispute happened as a result of the Singapore Airlines Pilots’ Association(SIAPA) demanded a 30 per cent hike within the primary salaries and higher working circumstances. In order to make its demand felt, the pilots’ union launched the unlawful work-to-rule industrial motion.
A piece-to-rule industrial motion meant that the workers did solely naked minimal work that was talked about of their employment contracts. The motion was taken to principally scale back effectivity and thereby have an effect on the general output. After this motion was launched, a flight from London to Dubai was disrupted when three SIA pilots and a flight engineer refused to work past their 12-hour responsibility throughout their visit Zurich on November 16, 1980.
All the technical crew concerned in disrupting the Dubai-bound flight had been terminated by the SIA and charged within the courtroom for finishing up the unlawful industrial motion. The disaster was reaching a crescendo and a definitive motion was wanted to place an finish to the festering drawback.
As SIA and SIAPA locked horns in what gave the impression to be an unresolvable battle, the then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew determined to know the nettle and finish the continued dispute. On 1 December 1980, SIAPA representatives had been summoned to Lee’s workplace on the Istana for a gathering. What transpired within the assembly has develop into a stuff of legend, recounted by Lee himself throughout a General Elections rally just a few days later.
Former Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew resolves the festering dispute inside the SIA
In the rally, Lee revealed that he met with the important thing SIAPA leaders in particular person and made them realise that he’s nonetheless vigorous and able to campaigning and taking over them. Lee’s iron will and his dedication to take the bull by the horn pressured the SIAPA leaders to wonder if it was price persevering with the battle. Lee made it amply clear in his negotiation with the SIAPA members that he’s not amongst those that could be blackmailed by the union into submitting to their calls for.
“I can tell you that when I met the SIA pilots, I didn’t meet them on TV, I met them face-to-face. Five feet across the table so they can see me, and see whether I’m still vigorous, able to campaign and take them on. Whether it’s worth taking me on. And I offered them two choices. Either you stop this intimidation, which is what it was, bringing SIA right down,” Lee mentioned.

Source: YouTubeLee acknowledged that he gave them two selections —whether or not to proceed the agitation—or get again to work after which the federal government can have a dialogue over their calls for. He made it clear to them that he was ready to floor the airways and train them a lesson in the event that they proceed with their unlawful work-to-rule industrial motion.
“Disrupting services, ruining its reputation. Millions of dollars worth of advertisements and sales ruined within a matter of two weeks. I gave them a choice. Continue this and I will by every means at my disposal teach you and get the people of Singapore to help me teach you a lesson you won’t forget. And I’m prepared to start all over again or stop it,” Lee mentioned.
He additional added, “Get back to work, restore discipline, then argue your case. Took them 65 minutes and they decided ok it isn’t worth the fight. Why? Because they know they’ll lose. They know that I’m prepared to ground the airline. They know that I can get the airline going again without them. And let there be no mistakes about it. Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him. Or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I spent a whole lifetime building this. And as long as I’m in charge, nobody’s going to knock it down.”
And with that, the matter with the SIAPA was resolved.
Farmers’ Union reject authorities’s proposal of suspending the three farm legal guidelines
A day after the federal government of India’s proposal to defer the brand new farm legal guidelines for the interval of 1.5 years, in trade for ending the continued the protests by some farmer unions, principally from Punjab, the unions have rejected the proposal. The determination was taken in a gathering of the protesting farmer unions at present, saying that they solely need the repeal of the legal guidelines.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, after the assembly to debate the union govt proposal, mentioned that they’re sticking with calls for for full repeal of the three farm legal guidelines, and a legislation guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) on farm produces. The Morcha mentioned that they don’t seem to be accepting the proposal to merely placing the legal guidelines on maintain for 1-1.5 years. The unions are anticipated to formally convey the choice through the subsequent spherical of conferences scheduled for tomorrow.