EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said it would continue to talk with its flight attendant union to avoid a possible strike, although it hopes that the government moves ahead with plans to introduce a requirement for a strike notice period.
The union has said that it would stage a strike to back demands for better working conditions.
“We are already studying the union’s demands, including the same subsidies for overnight stays abroad as China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) has and attendants staying overnight after short-haul flights,” EVA Airways president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) told reporters on the sidelines of a promotional event in Taipei.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“There are more than 10 routes that we still need to negotiate with the union regarding adjusting working hours and flight schedules, but we are willing to continue discussions with the union,” Sun said.
It implemented a new regulation in January to guarantee its attendants higher income after the union asked for negotiations last year, Sun added.
EVA Airways held talks last month with the union, which went smoothly, and both parties would look into the remaining issues at the next round of negotiations scheduled for April 9, company spokesman Golden Kou (柯金成) told the Taipei Times by telephone.
“We will discuss the attendants’ working hours or schedules on a route-by-route basis,” Kou said.
However, the airline is not likely to accept the union’s “no free ride” proposal, which would prohibit non-union attendants from receiving the same improved conditions as union members, Kuo said.
“We understand that CAL pilots also made such a demand earlier this year, but it is impossible for a firm like EVA to offer different conditions to its employees based on their union memberships,” he said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has proposed introducing regulations to require a notice period for aviation-related strikes.
EVA Airways supports the idea, which would give airlines more time to prepare for such strikes and reduce disruptions to travelers, Kou said.
“We respect the ministry and will wait for the results of its meeting,” he said.
EVA Airways’ flight attendants union has called on the ministry to withdraw the proposal.
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