KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — AirAsia’s offer to absorb some of the 6,000 Malaysia Airlines (MAS) workers set to be retrenched has received tepid response from a crew union, which said the flag carrier’s staff were sought after by more than the rival firm alone.

Malaysian Airlines Employees Union (MASEU) chief Alias Aziz said that while the low-cost carrier is already home to many former MAS staffers, it was not the only one showing interest in snapping up the national carrier’s men.

“Aside from AirAsia, there are a lot of other airlines that want workers from MAS, this includes everyone from engineers, pilots, mechanics to crew. They know that MAS has quality,” Alias said when contacted by Malay Mail Online.

But he suggested, however, that those set to be dropped by MAS would find themselves in familiar company at AirAsia.

“If we look today, AirAsia got to where it is because of all the ex-MAS staff that have moved there over the years. Most of the decision makers at AirAsia, from the middle management to the engineers (came from MAS),” he added.

Earlier, Alias told Malay Mail Online that his union will seek the same terms as the 2006 round of voluntary separations for the upcoming redundancy exercise, in which those taking up the offers will receives a MAS retirement package to secure their financial future.

He also said they will seek greater clarity over where the bulk of the 6,000 jobs that are expected to be cut in the impending overhaul of MAS will come from.

“This process will continue till July 2015 and we are in talks with Khazanah to make sure that we maintain our quality and the welfare of our staff before releasing a circular. Khazanah and MASEU must both be well informed regarding this transfer process,” said Alias of the ongoing separation  procedure.

Among the terms mentioned include that all exiting staff be offered equal or better compensation with their new firms, and assurances of job security.

“We don’t want them to be retrenched again after a few months. This includes staff that are leaving to government-linked companies,” said Alias.

On Wednesday, AirAsia group chief Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the low-cost carrier was willing to absorb some of those who will be axed in the MAS revamp.

Fernandes said both AirAsia X and AirAsia are growing and had grown its workforce size from 200 to 15,000 people, pointing out that almost 50 per cent of the group’s staff were former MAS employees.

MAS’s main shareholder Khazanah Nasional Berhad announced last month that almost a third of the airline’s 20,000-strong staff, or 6,000 workers, would be laid off as part of the restructuring exercise.

Sovereign wealth fund Khazanah has made a RM1.38-billion buyout offer to take MAS private as a first step in restructuring the national carrier which traces its beginnings to the 1930s.