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Korean Air, the nation’s largest flag carrier, requested a court injunction Thursday to put an end to a strike by pilots, claiming their union vote was “invalid.”
The Korean Air Pilot Union, one of the two pilot unions in Korean Air, went on a strike last Saturday a day after a majority of about 1,900 unionized pilots voted in favor, while demanding a pay raise and better working conditions.
The management and union have made little progress in narrowing their differences over the level of pay hike. Pilots are calling for a 37 percent increase, while the company is offering 1.9 percent, the same rate for the rest of the employees.
“The KAPU (with about 1,000 membership) resorted to expedient tactics to get votes from members of the other pilot union,” the company said in a press release.
“Members of the New Korean Air Pilot Union joined a secret ballot, which is not a legitimate voting procedure.’’
The KAPU claimed nothing was wrong as members of the new pilot union wrote down their names before joining the vote.
The new pilot union, which is against the strike, didn’t hand over the list of members to the KAPU, the company added.
In a related move, Korean Air sued KAPU head Lee kyu-nam and its representatives for defamation.
As part of the strike, the KAPU asked its union members to put a sticker with catchphrases against the company and top management on their travel carriers. The phrases include “The company is in the red, but only chairman is in the black.”
In response to the legal actions of the company, the union is expected to get more active next week. So far, the recent workout at Korean Air hasn’t had an impact on the flight schedules or safety of passengers.
The escalating labor conflict, however, raises concerns over the carrier’s brand image and business.
Despite the falling oil prices, Korean Air posted a net loss of 703 billion won ($567 million) last year, up from 457.8 billion won in 2014.
Shares of Korean Air traded at 24,750 won on the main bourse as of 3 p.m., down 2.46 percent from the previous day.
By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)
서지연기자@heraldcorp.com
The Korean Air Pilot Union, one of the two pilot unions in Korean Air, went on a strike last Saturday a day after a majority of about 1,900 unionized pilots voted in favor, while demanding a pay raise and better working conditions.
The management and union have made little progress in narrowing their differences over the level of pay hike. Pilots are calling for a 37 percent increase, while the company is offering 1.9 percent, the same rate for the rest of the employees.
“The KAPU (with about 1,000 membership) resorted to expedient tactics to get votes from members of the other pilot union,” the company said in a press release.
“Members of the New Korean Air Pilot Union joined a secret ballot, which is not a legitimate voting procedure.’’
The KAPU claimed nothing was wrong as members of the new pilot union wrote down their names before joining the vote.
The new pilot union, which is against the strike, didn’t hand over the list of members to the KAPU, the company added.
In a related move, Korean Air sued KAPU head Lee kyu-nam and its representatives for defamation.
As part of the strike, the KAPU asked its union members to put a sticker with catchphrases against the company and top management on their travel carriers. The phrases include “The company is in the red, but only chairman is in the black.”
In response to the legal actions of the company, the union is expected to get more active next week. So far, the recent workout at Korean Air hasn’t had an impact on the flight schedules or safety of passengers.
The escalating labor conflict, however, raises concerns over the carrier’s brand image and business.
Despite the falling oil prices, Korean Air posted a net loss of 703 billion won ($567 million) last year, up from 457.8 billion won in 2014.
Shares of Korean Air traded at 24,750 won on the main bourse as of 3 p.m., down 2.46 percent from the previous day.
By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)
서지연기자@heraldcorp.com
