China Airlines (CAL), Taiwan's biggest airline, is bracing itself for a second possible strike in a week. This time the China Airlines Employees Union, comprising pilots, maintenance crew and ground staff, has urged its members to "go on leave" on Friday to protest against the airline's failure to meet their demands for better pay and work conditions.
The union said its members will go on mass leave after talks with the airline's management, including its chairman Ho Nuan-hsuan, broke down yesterday. The impasse follows the first industrial action by cabin crew in Taiwan's aviation history last Friday. CAL cabin crew walked out to protest against changes in work conditions and fewer than desired leave days. The one-day strike ended only after CAL management agreed to meet demands of the cabin crew, which include a higher overseas allowance and this capitulation has directly lead to this latest announcement/demand from other areas of the workforce.
The strike last week forced CAL to ground more than 120 flights, leaving 30,000 passengers stranded in Taipei. CAL also suffered a loss of about NT$500 million (S$21 million) in refunds and compensation.