Lee, in remarks quoted by the Straits Times, said the pilots and their union leaders "have to think very carefully, do they really want to take on the government?"

He recalled how his strong-willed father, then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, had to step in to settle a work slowdown by the pilots' union in 1980 which disrupted several international flights.

Lee Kuan Yew at that time told the pilots: "I don't want to do you in, but I won't let anybody do Singapore in." The union was de-registered a year later and 15 leaders were charged with commencing industrial action and convicted.

The junior Lee, who is expected to become Singapore's next prime minister before general elections in 2007, said the elder Lee's words remaimed a "valid message" today.

He spoke to the Singapore media on Friday in New Zealand where he was on a visit.

The Air Line Pilots' Association of Singapore this month voted to sack its entire leadership over controversial wage cuts imposed by airline management due to the impact of the SARS health crisis.

The pilots said their union leaders had given in easily to the wage cuts.

The dispute boiled over when SIA reported a stunning return to profit in the September quarter after suffering its first ever financial loss in the three months to June.

But Lee echoed views of two other senior officials that the move by the pilots was confrontational and could affect Singapore's status as a regional aviation hub.

It could also encourage a confrontational stance in other unions and disrupt the city-state's strike-free environment which seen as a key reason for foreign companies to base here.

Industrial harmony here is attributed to a smooth tripartite relationship in which the government, employers and unions cooperate closely. Under this arrangement, unions rarely openly challenge the government and industrial action is very rare.

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