Garuda pilots threaten to strike again
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Once again, Garuda Indonesia assured the public that it would operate as normal next week, despite a new strike threat made by its pilots after both sides failed to reach an agreement on a pay dispute.
The pilots have threatened to go on strike next Tuesday and vowed to continue the action until the airline's management bowed to their demand for a pay hike.
Garuda vice president of commercial affairs Bachrul Hakim said, on the sidelines of a hearing with House of Representatives Commission IV for transportation, that the management had armed itself with a contingency plan to prevent any disruption caused by a possible strike.
However, he declined to reveal the details.
"We would like to assure the public that the strike threat will not disrupt any of Garuda's flights," he said.
Previously, the management signaled that Garuda would recruit foreign pilots from other airlines, if necessary.
The move appears inevitable, given that the airline owns several Boeing 747-400 and 747-200 aircraft, and that there are not enough local pilots qualified to fly wide-bodied airplanes, including Boeing 747s.
The management also said the strike plan was supported by only about 20 of Garuda's 686 pilots.
Fears of possible disruption of traffic on the 21 domestic and 25 international routes served by the airline resurfaced after both parties left the negotiating table several days ago without any compromise being reached.
President of the Garuda Pilots Association Ari Sapari said on Thursday his pilots had been left with no other option but to strike.
"We have been in talks with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration and the airline's management, but have still been unable to agree on substantive issues. We shall claim our right to take industrial action and go on strike," he said.
The pilots, who complained that their salaries were lower than the international average, initially planned to take industrial action late last month.
However, after being asked by Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea, who guaranteed to mediate in the negotiations, the pilots delayed their industrial action.
Garuda's management said that the pilots were currently paid Rp 7.9 million (US$887.6) to Rp 22.8 million per month. The pilots demanded Rp 47.1 million to Rp 88.8 million, while the management offered only Rp 13 million to Rp 24.6 million.
The management said that in order to meet the pilots' demands, the company would need to raise its salary budget to Rp 500 billion per year.
Last year, Garuda Indonesia recorded Rp 417 billion in profit, despite having just recovered from the financial crisis. Currently, it still has $880 million in total debt, payable from 2003 through 2010.
Garuda, which has a 53-plane fleet and 9,450 employees, carried 7.3 million passengers, or about 40 percent of the nation's air travelers in 2002.