Asiana Airlines pilots' union to begin strike in late July

Asiana Airlines A350 / Courtesy of Asiana Airlines

By Kim Hyun-bin

The pilot union of Asiana Airlines announced on Friday that it will go on strike starting July 24, unable to narrow differences with management over wage negotiations.

According to the pilots' union, wage negotiations held until the previous day failed, prompting the union to engage in secondary protest actions and initiate a strike.

The secondary protest actions involve refusing flights and causing economic damage to the company by reducing cruising altitude and speed, resulting in increased fuel consumption.

"Despite over a month of lawful struggles, we made this decision because we could not narrow differences with management," a union representative said. “We concluded that it is impossible to reach an agreement with the company, which proposed freezing wages for three years from 2019 to 2021 and a 2.5 percent increase in 2022.”

The representative expressed concern about inconveniences during the summer peak season, saying, "We feel heavy-hearted about potential public inconveniences. The union will strive to maximize impact by targeting passenger and cargo routes to the Americas and Europe, to potentially change the company's position."

The aviation industry is designated as an essential public service, and is required by law to operate with over 80 percent of personnel working during strikes for international flights, 70 percent for Jeju routes and 50 percent for domestic routes.

For international routes, where passenger numbers are expected to increase during the summer vacation season, the number of strike participants is limited to 20 percent, minimizing disruptions for most flights. However, some passengers may still experience inconvenience.

As of July 3, a total of 28 flight delays have occurred due to the pilot union's protest actions.

Since securing the right to protest in May and commencing protest actions on June 7, the pilots' union has been continuing its protests.

“It is regrettable that the pilots' labor union has announced a strike, putting the sole responsibility for the unsuccessful negotiations on the company at a crucial moment when the corporate merger review … is underway,” an Asiana Airlines official said.

“The company will make every effort to minimize passenger inconvenience and explore all possible measures. Furthermore, the company intends to maintain a dialogue channel with the labor union and make its best efforts to reach an amicable settlement,” the official added.