The Taoyuan Union of Pilots yesterday announced that pilots working for China Airlines (CAL) — Taiwan’s largest airline — voted overwhelmingly in favor of going on strike if upcoming negotiations with the company fail to reach desirable results.
The union urged CAL to address their demands at final negotiations scheduled for May 11, adding that over the past two months, the company failed to address their seven demands, which include shorter work hours, an increase in airline staff to prevent overwork and improved wages.
The vote was carried out between April 9 and Sunday. Among a total of 670 union members, 596 voted to support the strike, while none voted against it. Two votes were declared invalid.
If enacted, it would be the first strike to be conducted by airline pilots in the nation’s history.
The vote was described by union activists as a show of solidarity, as many pilots were required to return from abroad to cast their vote.
A union member, who declined to be named, said that CAL repeatedly stalled progress in the negotiations by initially appearing to agree to certain demands, only to later backpedal on its earlier promises.
“China Airlines often vowed to enact reforms, but the company would withdraw its promises, usually citing new ‘difficulties’ it had encountered,” the union member said.
Given that CAL employs about 1,000 pilots, an all-out strike by union members would likely paralyze operations at the company, the staff member added.
The union said it would not rule out a strike until the company has addressed all seven of its demands.
In a statement issued yesterday, the union said it would further discuss its plans for the strike at a union board meeting on Thursday.
Founded in May last year, the Taoyuan Union of Pilots was formed after the official China Airlines Employees’ Union was perceived as unable to adequately address the interests of the company’s employees.
Despite its designation as an industrial union for pilots in Taoyuan, a vast majority of the union’s members are pilots at CAL. The nation’s other major airline company, EVA Air, prohibits its employees from unionizing.
CAL was accused of suppressing union activities after five of its employees claimed to have been suspended from flight duties following their participation in a demonstration in January.
In response, CAL said in a statement that the company would continue to engage in discussions with the union, adding that the company intends to express goodwill during negotiations to protect the rights of its passengers.
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