EVA Air pilot strike brews, Lunar New Year walkout possible

長榮航空機師醞釀罷工，農曆新年可能罷工

Union anticipates obtaining legal right to strike after vote count early next week


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An EVA Air pilot strike is brewing and the union could stage a walkout over the Lunar New Year.

Taoyuan Union of Pilots (TUP) on Thursday said that following a vote on whether to strike was held by members who were EVA Air pilots from Dec. 22 to Jan. 5, a vote was commenced for non-EVA Air members on Jan. 8. It is set to conclude on Jan. 21 with a unified vote count scheduled for Jan. 22.

Despite four days remaining until the end of the strike vote, the union anticipates obtaining the legal right to strike after the unified vote count on Jan. 22 due to "overwhelming turnout."

EVA Air on Thursday responded briefly to the threat of a Lunar New Year strike, saying it respects the union’s autonomy. However, it emphasized the company would not forego any opportunities for communication and negotiation with the pilot's union.

Even so, the union alleged that since the union held a strike vote in late December, EVA Air has not addressed the union's proposals for improving labor conditions. The union also claimed that EVA Air refused to terminate its use of illegal brokers and the unlawful employment of foreign pilots.

After voting on Jan. 22 confirms the legal right to strike has been obtained, the union said it would look at dispute actions and launch a strike during the Lunar New Year at the earliest. However, to avoid inconveniencing passengers, the union said that it may provide a 24-hour advance notice before launching the strike.

The union said that last week EVA Air’s management issued a questionnaire with only a single option of “agree” when asking pilots “whether they are willing to support the company’s operations during the strike.” The union alleged that this approach is "intimidating and threatening all pilots."

According to the union, this behavior may constitute an unfair labor practice. Members will continue to gather evidence and may apply for a ruling on improper labor practices.

In addition, the union claimed that it obtained information that EVA Air was penalized by Taoyuan's labor department in early December for hiring foreign pilots who did not have specific aircraft licenses and breaking the Employment Service Act (就業服務法).

The union said that EVA Air not only illegally hired foreign pilots through an illegal broker but also the foreign pilots were recruited without possessing the required licenses to fly. The union said this and the other alleged infractions pose a threat to passenger flight safety.