Garuda to operate normally despite threatened strike<\/p>\n
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Playing down the threat of industrial action from its pilots,
\nGaruda Indonesia management reassured the public on Friday that
\nthe airline would operate as normal.<\/p>\n
President director of the airline Indra Setiawan said that the
\npublic should not worry about the possibility of industrial
\naction and every flight would keep to its normal schedule.<\/p>\n
"None of Garuda's flights will be disrupted by the threat and
\nthe company will operate as normal," he said at a media
\nconference here.<\/p>\n
Indra predicted only about 20 of the airline's total 628
\npilots would insist on taking the plan further, and therefore
\nwould not cause any significant disturbance to the airline's
\noperations.<\/p>\n
"They only account for a small number, while we will be
\nsupported by the majority, who are more sensible," he said.<\/p>\n
He also said that the management was ready to meet the
\nchallenge from the pilots and had come up with a contingency plan
\nof its own, but refused to reveal the details.<\/p>\n
However, Indra hinted that the management would recruit pilots
\nfrom outside Garuda, if necessary.<\/p>\n
"We are ready to take whatever measures are necessary, to make
\nsure that we will not be affected by the threat," he said.<\/p>\n
Garuda Pilots Association threatened on Tuesday to take
\nindustrial action if the management refused to meet its new pay
\ndemand.<\/p>\n
From Jan. 26 through Feb. 1 pilots will take part in a "labor
\nslowdown", causing an hour's delay to all flights.<\/p>\n
The next action would be from Feb. 2 through Feb. 9, during
\nwhich the pilots would delay flights for five hours if the
\nmanagement continued to reject their demands.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 10, the pilots would ultimately go on strike if no pay
\nagreement were reached.<\/p>\n
The industrial action and strike, if they take place, would
\ncertainly hurt Garuda as it is working hard to create a
\nreputation as a punctual airline. They are also feared to disrupt
\nthe country's air transportation as the national airline carries
\nmore than 40 percent of air travelers on domestic routes.<\/p>\n
Indra considered that the management had been very
\naccommodating over the new pay structure demanded by the pilots.<\/p>\n
However, in view of the company's financial condition, Garuda
\ncould not agree to the salaries demanded by the pilots.<\/p>\n
"We have allocated about 40 percent of our salaries budget to
\nthe 628 pilots, compared with 60 percent for over 6,000 other
\nemployees," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garuda-to-operate-normally-despite-threatened-strike-1447893297",
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