EVA Airways pilots are in two weeks to vote on whether to strike after negotiations with the carrier over salary increases broke down last week, the Taoyuan Union of Pilots said on Tuesday.
Calling a strike a “last resort,” union chairwoman Anny Lee (李信燕) did not rule out the possibility that pilots would vote in favor of it, which could affect people traveling around the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections and the Lunar New Year holiday.
However, if members approve a strike, the union would announce it so travelers can make arrangements, Lee said in a video statement.
Photo courtesy of Taoyuan Union Pilots
The airline — which posted a pretax profit of nearly NT$7.1 billion (US$225.21 million) last year and a record profit of NT$16.4 billion in the first three quarters of this year — has refused to fairly share the earnings with its pilots, she said.
Pilots’ wages were frozen from 2011 to last year, which led to a more than 10 percent decrease in their real wages, before they received a 1.5 to 2 percent increase last year, she said.
When the salary situation led to a nearly 10 percent decrease in the number of Taiwanese pilots over the past year, EVA responded by working with an “illegal human resources agency” to recruit a large number of foreign pilots rather than seeking to retain local talent, Lee said.
That not only created unfair competition, but also undermined safety because flight records of foreign pilots were not properly vetted, she said.
As many as two-thirds of foreign pilots hired through the agency left the airline after a relatively short period, she said.
“Many considered EVA Airways a ‘driving school,’ which they left after having accumulated enough flight hours to work for bigger carriers,” she said.
EVA denied the accusations about its pilot recruitment process, saying in a statement that all candidates are required to meet the same standards regardless of nationality.
The union has negotiated with EVA over the pay issue several times since last year without receiving a response to its demands, she said, adding that the airline refused to compromise even after the Taoyuan Department of Labor intervened in February.
EVA said in a statement that it conducts salary adjustments every year, except in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that monthly pay for chief pilots increased by nearly NT$100,000 from 2015 to this year.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration said it hopes the union and EVA can engage in talks and reach an agreement as soon as possible.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese