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.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
Fung-wong has been downgraded to a tropical storm from a typhoon as it approaches Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The storm has weakened, but would still pose a major threat to Taiwan and its surrounding waters as it comes closer, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) told reporters. As of 9am, the center of Tropical Storm Fung-wong was 360km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point, and moving north-northeast to northeast at 12kph. It was carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 108kph and gusts of 137kph, compared with 119kph and 155kph respectively recorded at about 7am
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