Pratt & Whitney JV in Singapore in talks with unions, 'no employees retrenched yet'

PRATT & Whitney (P&W) has confirmed that its majority-owned joint venture, Eagle Services Asia, is currently in talks with unions but clarified that no employee has been retrenched as yet.

This comes after a media report which said that 144 employees were retrenched between July 22 and July 24.

The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically hampered travel, which in turn is affecting aerospace players such as Eagle Services Asia. P&W's 51:49 joint-venture partner for the maintenance, repair and overhaul unit (MRO) is SIA Engineering Company.

In an e-mailed statement to The Business Times, a spokesperson for Pratt & Whitney said that no employee was retrenched on July 22 and 24, and that all employees currently continue to be on payroll. However, Eagle Services Asia is in talks with the union owing to the decline in volumes from its customers.

The spokesperson added: "The impact of the pandemic has been felt particularly hard by the aviation industry, including Eagle Services Asia. We are continuously monitoring the business environment to make the adjustments necessary to position our business for the future and assessing staffing levels to ensure they are in line with current business needs."