By Chung Ah-young
The nation's two flagship air carriers are on a collision course with their unions.
After failing to reach an agreement over wages with the company, Korean Air's pilot's union has been holding a vote over 10 days on whether to go on strike.
The union said that it will decide whether it will go on strike after the ongoing mediation by the National Labor Relations Commission and the vote which will continue through Jan. 22.
The union has negotiated with management five times over wages but has failed to narrow the gap. The union demanded a 37 percent increase in total wages, citing its chairman Cho Yang-ho's pay hike, while the management offered 1.9 percent.
The pilots have complained about their relatively low pay compared to those in other countries. Korean Air's pilots receive an average of $8,700 per month, one third that of Chinese pilots who receive $25,000 after taxes.
Among 2,500 Korean Air pilots, 130 moved to foreign airlines and low-cost carriers last year, seeking higher pay.
However, industry watchers said that even though the members might vote to go on strike, it will not likely lead to an actual walkout given the public sentiment which is usually not favorable to highly paid workers striking.
Korean Air was hit hard by a pilots' strike back in 2005, calling for a wage hike and for management transparency. The strike caused huge losses to the company and inconvenience to passengers.
The industry watchers said that the pilots may take other options such as a slowdown.
Asiana Airlines has also suffered from labor disputes due to the company's recent restructuring plan.
Union members such as crew members and mechanics have been waging a sit-in protest against the plan in front of Asiana's main hangar at Gimpo International Airport since Jan. 3.
They said that the current corporate crisis derives from management failure but the company has asked the employees to shoulder the burden.
Asiana recently announced a management normalization plan including slimming down the company and closing money-losing international routes to enhance business efficiency and profitability.
The company plans to reduce its local branch offices from 23 to 14 and overseas branches from 128 to 96, and instead outsource its business operations in closed locations.
The company said that it will reduce new recruitment and conduct a voluntary retirement program.
It expects the restructuring efforts will save 160 billion won.
The nation's two flagship air carriers are on a collision course with their unions.
After failing to reach an agreement over wages with the company, Korean Air's pilot's union has been holding a vote over 10 days on whether to go on strike.
The union said that it will decide whether it will go on strike after the ongoing mediation by the National Labor Relations Commission and the vote which will continue through Jan. 22.
The union has negotiated with management five times over wages but has failed to narrow the gap. The union demanded a 37 percent increase in total wages, citing its chairman Cho Yang-ho's pay hike, while the management offered 1.9 percent.
The pilots have complained about their relatively low pay compared to those in other countries. Korean Air's pilots receive an average of $8,700 per month, one third that of Chinese pilots who receive $25,000 after taxes.
Among 2,500 Korean Air pilots, 130 moved to foreign airlines and low-cost carriers last year, seeking higher pay.
However, industry watchers said that even though the members might vote to go on strike, it will not likely lead to an actual walkout given the public sentiment which is usually not favorable to highly paid workers striking.
Korean Air was hit hard by a pilots' strike back in 2005, calling for a wage hike and for management transparency. The strike caused huge losses to the company and inconvenience to passengers.
The industry watchers said that the pilots may take other options such as a slowdown.
Asiana Airlines has also suffered from labor disputes due to the company's recent restructuring plan.
Union members such as crew members and mechanics have been waging a sit-in protest against the plan in front of Asiana's main hangar at Gimpo International Airport since Jan. 3.
They said that the current corporate crisis derives from management failure but the company has asked the employees to shoulder the burden.
Asiana recently announced a management normalization plan including slimming down the company and closing money-losing international routes to enhance business efficiency and profitability.
The company plans to reduce its local branch offices from 23 to 14 and overseas branches from 128 to 96, and instead outsource its business operations in closed locations.
The company said that it will reduce new recruitment and conduct a voluntary retirement program.
It expects the restructuring efforts will save 160 billion won.
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