SINGAPORE - In a move to show solidarity with its customers affected by the coronavirus situation, the senior management team at Certis will have their basic pay cut or frozen from April.

Senior vice-presidents and above at the integrated security services firm have volunteered to take a 10 per cent reduction in their base pay, and the rest of the senior leadership team will take a salary freeze, according to a memo to staff last Friday (March 6) seen by The Straits Times.

President and group chief executive Paul Chong will take a 15 per cent cut in base salary, said the memo signed off by him.

The rest of Certis will not see changes in their salaries. "We will continue providing for salary increments to recognise and reward everyone's hard work throughout the organisation," he added in the memo.

The firm is the latest to join others, including Singapore Airlines, Singapore Post and SMRT, to implement similar pay cuts for their upper-management staff in response to the coronavirus situation.

Mr Chong, in his memo, noted that in the past three months, the impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been felt all over the world, with industries like food and beverage, hospitality and travel hit significantly.

Changi Airport recently saw a 25 per cent dip in passenger traffic, and some retail malls have announced rental rebates to their tenants of up to 50 per cent, he wrote.

"Certis is not spared. As we sail through these rough waters, we will manage our operations even more carefully."

The firm is a major private-sector player in Singapore's security industry and provides security services at Changi and Seletar airports and at various shopping malls.

Headquartered in Singapore, it has some 34,000 employees worldwide, including 16,000 here.

In response to media queries, the firm said that the global outbreak of the disease known as Covid-19 has also affected Certis, like many other organisations.

"Amid this uncertain economic climate, we will be implementing salary restraint measures for the Senior Leadership Team in a show of solidarity with our customers and stakeholders, some of whom are affected much more severely than us," it said.

"We are committed to managing the business prudently to steer it through this difficult period."