A drawn-out strike at Taiwanese airline EVA Air has become the longest in the aviation history of Taiwan, with the airline cancelling 550 more flights scheduled through to the middle of this month.
Today is the 15th day of the cabin crew strike. The latest bid to restart negotiations on working conditions and wages broke down earlier this week.
The strike began on 20 June, with flight attendants stopping work after talks with management, which had continued for weeks, ended without satisfaction.
So far, the dispute has disrupted more than 2000 flights and inconvenienced about 405,000 passengers.
Star Alliance member EVA Air estimates the strike has so far cost it about TWD 1.75 billion (approaching AUD 3.5 million).
EVA Air Airbus A330-300
“The company is still delaying,” Judy Hsiao, a media liaison officer for the union, declared.
“We urge them to put down their prejudices and sign an agreement with us as soon as possible.”
No further talks are scheduled. Reports from Taipei indicate both sides are digging in for a protracted dispute, Singapore’s Straits Times reported. That’s not good news for the airline or its passengers.
Written by Peter Needham
.jpg){kind=tracking}
