Cabin crews urge EVA Air to resume talks to end Taiwan’s longest-ever aviation strike
- Week-long industrial action has already grounded hundreds of planes and managers warn problems will continue into next week
- Union representing striking workers offers number of concessions in hope of resuming negotiations
Flight attendants at Taiwan’s EVA Air urged the airline on Thursday to restart negotiations to end a week-long strike that has seen hundreds of international flights cancelled.
The airline said a total of 368 flights, or 40 per cent, would be cancelled from July 1 to July 5. Nearly 300 flights were already cancelled since its cabin crew went on strike on June 20, including flights from Taipei to Chicago, Paris, Seoul and Hong Kong.
The week-long strike, which is the longest ever in Taiwan’s aviation sector, where labour unrest is uncommon, has caused an estimated revenue loss of about NT$1.3 billion (US$43 million).
The union representing EVA Air’s flight attendants made several concessions on Thursday on its demands to improve work conditions and pay, having failed to reach an agreement with the airline’s management after a months-long negotiation.
“The union has adjusted our proposal and is urging EVA Air to restart the negotiation as soon as possible,” it said in a statement. “We have been hoping that EVA Airways would restart negotiations swiftly to resolve the dispute.”
