The Taoyuan Union of Pilots yesterday threatened to strike if China Airlines and EVA Airways do not stop hiring what it said were unqualified foreign pilots.
Union members protested in front of the Ministry of Labor headquarters in Taipei in the morning after saying they have substantial evidence showing that the nation’s two large airlines have hired pilots who do not have licenses to operate some aircraft in their fleets.
Management from the two airlines use separate standards to manage and train foreign pilots and Taiwanese pilots, which compromises flight safety and hurts the rights of Taiwanese to employment, the union said.
Photo: CNA
Union members singled out EVA Airways, saying that it has contravened government regulations in its hiring of foreign pilots.
EVA has been working with Asia Pacific Aviation Services (APAS) to hire foreign pilots, but there are no records that APAS provided employment services, nor is it registered as an employment service provider in Taiwan, the union said.
APAS is not qualified to broker for the employment of pilots, which is a clear contravention of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法), it said.
EVA Airways also contravened the Qualifications and Criteria Standards for foreigners undertaking jobs specified in Article 46 subclauses 1.1 to 1.6 of the Employment Service Act, which stipulates that foreigners employed to fly commercial aircraft must provide documents to prove their abilities, the union said.
“EVA Airways told the government that it needs to hire licensed foreign pilots for its Airbus 350 aircraft, but the truth is that the airline does not have any Airbus 350s,” the union said.
Of the 31 foreign pilots that have been hired by China Airlines since Taiwan reopened its borders in October last year, 23 do not have the qualifications, it said.
As the union and airlines failed to settle the dispute through arbitration, the union said that it could ask its members to vote on whether a strike should be organized.
“We have also asked the Ministry of Labor to fine the two airlines for contravening the Employment Service Act and revoke their permits to hire foreign pilots,” the union said.
The Ministry of Labor said that it would continue to monitor developments and has reminded airlines that employment of foreign pilots must be in accordance with the Employment Service Act, or they would be fined up to NT$1.5 million (US$47,431) and have their permits to recruit foreigners revoked.
EVA Airways said it has been using identical standards to manage Taiwanese and foreign pilots, adding that it has followed government regulations in recruiting foreign pilots.
“Because of the delivery schedule of Boeing 787s, the company must prepare pilots ahead of time,” EVA Airlines said.
“In addition to hiring and training qualified Taiwanese pilots, we need to recruit qualified foreign pilots,” it said. “At present, Boeing 787 pilots are in short supply. As such, we hire pilots who do not hold Boeing 787 certificates for transfer training.”
The same qualifications and criteria cited by the union also allow employers to hire foreign pilots who have not acquired certificates for the aircraft models and train them if there are no qualified pilots for those models domestically or internationally, it said.
“Only when they have acquired certificates for the aircraft models are they allowed to be employed. However, qualified Taiwanese aircraft pilots shall be trained first,” the airline said, citing the regulations.
“APAS only offers possible candidates for recruitment, but we are in charge of testing and recruiting pilots ourselves in compliance with the law,” it added.
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