With a strike hanging in the balance, EVA Airways pilots are waiting for a clear-cut response to their demands before deciding on their next move, the Taoyuan Union of Pilots said yesterday.
The union said it hoped EVA would formulate some detailed and concrete solutions by the end of yesterday, after three rounds of unproductive negotiations so far this month over the pilots’ demands for a better pay structure and work hours, among other issues.
A fourth round of talks will be arranged, depending on how much goodwill the company shows, the union said, adding that the pilots will keep open the option of a strike.
The last meeting on Wednesday last week was cut short because EVA was not adequately prepared to discuss the demands at the top of the pilots’ agenda, said the Taoyuan City Labor Department, which is mediating the talks.
Meanwhile, China Airlines (CAL) pilots have taken a strike off the table for now as their negotiations with CAL management have been going more smoothly, union executive director and CAL pilot Chen Hsiang-lin (陳祥麟) said.
The union and CAL management have reached a consensus on a number of issues, and the date for a fourth round of talks should be announced soon, Chen said, adding that CAL pilots would not strike as long the negotiations are progressing well.
However, if EVA pilots go on strike, CAL union members will support them by refusing to offer any kind of assistance to EVA Air, he said.
CAL and EVA union members on Aug. 7 voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike over work conditions and had planned to make an announcement on Monday last week, but postponed that statement as they agreed to sit down at the negotiation table again.
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