The MAS Employees Union (Maseu) has been called for a meeting with MAS chairman Md Nor Yusof over its threat to picket if the strategic collaboration between the national carrier and rival AirAsia is to continue.

A Maseu representative said the union officers have been called to meet with the chairman of the airline tomorrow, after which the union will hold a press conference to divulge details of the discussion.

On Sept 8, Maseu, which represents some 15,000 MAS workers, threatened to stage a picket if the AirAsia-MAS deal goes through.

mas union on mas_airasia deal 080911 alias aziz

"If it goes on, we will have no choice but to picket. We are ready to picket!" union president Alias Aziz ( right ) told a press conference at the Maseu headquarters in Subang Jaya.

The airline has expressed its disappointment with the threatened industrial action from the Graded Tripartite comprising Maseu, Air Workers Union Sarawak (AWUS) and Air Transport Workers Union Sabah (ATWUS).

"Nonetheless, MAS has always placed the employees' interests at the forefront of all business decisions," the national carrier said in a report filed by Bernama , adding that it had and would continue to constantly engage with the unions.