Korea Air boss scolds pilots for exaggerating worlkload

By Park Sae-jin Posted : March 14, 2016, 15:15 Updated : March 14, 2016, 15:15

[Courtesy of Korean Air]


Korean Air boss Cho Yang-ho scolded pilots for being complacent and exaggerating their workload Monday as a prolonged dispute over wages threatens to hurt the reputation of South Korea's top carrier.

Cho disputed the suggestion of unionized pilots that they were underpaid and were suffering from a tight flight schedule, with a scornful post on Facebook that airplane operation has become easier than before because of an automatic navigation system.

"They are over-exaggerating just a little bit," he said. But his post was removed later as it fueled anger among pilots.

The company has been mired in rare labour action since the union of Korean Air pilots voted for a strike on February 19, demanding a 37 percent hike in wages instead of a 1.9 percent pay increase proposed by management. There has been no actual walkout yet with the union stepping up its action gradually.

Korean Air has responded with a court injunction to nullify the vote, along with a separate libel suit against union leaders for slandering Cho with groundless allegations.

The union has accused the company of failing to improve its corporate governance and poor working conditions.


Relations were strained further in early March after a union member was fired for rejecting a flight order and hampering operations.

The union's vote gives legal ground for the pilots to engage in labor disputes, but South Korea's airline industry is officially designated as critical to the public, making it almost impossible for pilots to stage a full strike. Striking pilots are required to maintain 80 percent of flight operations.

The pilots staged a four-day walkout in 2005. They are relatively paid well, but they insisted their payment was far smaller than that of foreign airlines which have scouted experienced Korean pilots offering a much thicker pay package.

Korean Air faces a bumpy ride due to growing competition from rivals in China and the Middle East as well as budget carriers.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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