China Airlines 12-day labor negotiations: Fight for equal pay for equal work！ Union: Legal strike not ruled out

▲ The Mandarin Airlines union will hold talks with management on the 12th to push for "equal pay for equal work." (Photo / fromthe Mandarin Airlines Corporate Union’s official Facebook page, same below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The China Airlines strike has sparked a ripple effect, with the union of its subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, "following suit." The originally scheduled labor-management talks on the 7th were postponed to the afternoon of the 12th due to Typhoon Nepartak,demanding treatment equal to that of China Airlines employees and vigorously striving for "equal pay for equal work", vowing not to let labor be exploited. It also does not rule out organizing collective leave and legal strike actions.

Wu Yanxian, chairman of the Mandarin Airlines union, said that although Mandarin Airlines is part of the China Airlines Group, its starting salaries and various benefits are inferior to those of China Airlines employees,and they will vigorously strive for "equal pay for equal work," putting forward eight demands, including double pay for working on national holidays, no shifting of national holidays; requiring flight crew to adhere to the Labor Standards Act before signing the Article 84-1 (responsibility system) agreement; readjusting domestic and international business trip allowances; unifying business trip regulations; adjusting flight attendants’ flight allowances and salary scales; subsidizing air and ground crew uniform laundry costs; and reviewing the on-board expenses of the maintenance department.

▲ The Mandarin Airlines union will hold talks with management on the 12th to push for "equal pay for equal work."

The Taipei City Federation of Trade Unions stated,Mandarin Airlines has better financial performance than China Airlines, but employee salaries are only about 60% of those at China Airlines, andthe senior management of Mandarin Airlines is all appointed by China Airlines, which repeatedly delays and shelved the union’s negotiation requests. Whenever the union asks for any adjustments to welfare benefits, the response is always "go back and ask China Airlines" or "Mandarin Airlines must not be higher than its parent company, China Airlines." Mandarin Airlines employees have long been treated as second-class citizens within the group, suffering unfair treatment.

The Taipei City Federation of Trade Unions mentioned that Mandarin Airlines had originally agreed to negotiate with the union on the 7th, with all specifications matching those of China Airlines, but the day before, the airline informed the union,"The negotiation meeting must not allow media coverage", reverting to its usual stance of suppressing the Mandarin Airlines union. The union’s board of directors resolved not to let management have its way and will mobilize nearly 100 members to attend the negotiation meeting in person, showing the public the union’s determination to fight.If Mandarin Airlines management continues to stall and China Airlines executives continue to ignore the issue, the Mandarin Airlines union board has resolved that it does not rule out organizing collective leave and legal strike actions.