EVA Air pilots gain right to strike (update)

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) Pilots with Taiwan's EVA Airways (EVA Air) belonging to the Taoyuan Union of Pilots (TUP) have obtained the legal right to strike over pay disputes and work conditions after union members voted in agreement to go on strike, the TUP said Monday.

A strike could take place around the week-long Lunar New Year holiday that starts on Feb. 8 at the earliest and could mainly affect long-haul flights between Taiwan and the United States, Canada and Europe, according to the union.

Out of 1,398 union members, 910 members took part in the vote on whether they agreed to a strike by EVA Air pilots, with 900 voting in favor and 10 voting against.

On the ballots given to union members, the union said its request for mediation of a dispute over salary and international allowance issues with EVA Air management was rejected and that a vote was arranged for EVA Air members to see if they agreed to go on strike.

The specific demands listed on the ballot was a 20 percent raise, an increase of their international allowance to US$6 per hour from US$3.30 per hour, and a halt on hiring full-time foreign pilots.

The two-week vote started on Dec. 22, 2023 among the 640 TUP members who work for EVA Air. Of the 552 EVA Air pilots in the union who cast a ballot, 543 were in favor of a strike, and nine were against it.

At the request of central and local government labor agencies, other TUP members not employed at EVA Air also started voting on the issue on Jan. 8.

With more than 50 percent of the 640 EVA Air pilots and the 1,398 union members voting in favor of going on strike, the vote met the threshold needed for pilots to have the legal right to strike if the airline did not meet their demands, TUP Chairwoman Anny Lee (李信燕) said at a news conference after the vote count.

The possibility of holding a strike during the Lunar New Year holiday cannot be ruled out, Lee said, but she said exact strike procedures and other details will be discussed during the union's board meeting scheduled for Jan. 25.

Creating some uncertainty on the impact of a strike is that more than half of EVA Air's 1,460 pilots do not belong to the TUP, and how supportive they are of the TUP's action is unknown.

Lee said that if EVA Air's TUP members went on strike, the non-union pilots would have to take vacation time to join the strike organized by the union.

If the company decided to meet the union's demands, however, all EVA Air pilots would benefit regardless of whether they belonged to the union or not, she said.

Lee expressed hopes, however, that the airline will talk with the union ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, and said the union will adjust its plan to strike based on the outcome of any discussions.

If the union decided to strike, Lee said, it would give 24-hour advance notice to avoid inconveniencing passengers.

Because up to 75 percent of EVA Air pilots in the union fly long-haul flights to major cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe, passengers traveling on these routes would more likely be affected if a strike were staged, she said.

Among the main destinations that could be hit are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Chicago and Houston in the U.S., Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, and Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Munich and Milan in Europe, according to Lee.

Responding to the union's vote in a statement Monday, EVA Air called the results "regrettable" and urged the union to give priority to passengers' rights and continue to engage in negotiations with the company in a rational and pragmatic manner.

The airline also said it has formed an emergency response team to respond to any strike.

Regarding the union's demands, the airline argued that since the beginning of negotiations in 2022 for a more systematic pay adjustment mechanism, it has taken tangible actions.

They include raising the base salary of pilots by more than 20 percent, translating to an increase of NT$18,000-NT$36,000 (US$573-US$1,147) in monthly pay while also increasing pilot subsidies, and paying employees year-end bonuses equal to six months salary.

It added that the hiring of foreign pilots had been carried out in accordance with the law to deal with pilot shortages.

Also Monday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Civil Aviation Administration, and the Ministry of Labor all called on the airline and the union to engage in negotiations to reach an equitable solution as soon as possible.