Garuda pilots unanimously cancel strike

Garuda pilots unanimously cancel strike

Arya Abhiseka and Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Garuda Indonesia's pilots canceled early Tuesday morning their
plan to strike, bringing relief to the nation which had been
worried over a possible air travel disruption.

President of the Garuda Pilots Association Ari Sapari told The
Jakarta Post that the pilots had decided to cancel the plan at
the last minute after a meeting with State Minister of State
Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi.

"The association members made the decision on the assurance of
the Minister that he would ask the management to reconsider our
demands," Ari said.

Earlier, the public were worried that the pilots would go on
strike on Tuesday, as they had defied as of Monday all attempts
by the management and even Minister of Manpower and
Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea to prevent the strike.

On Monday, Jacob lashed out at Garuda's management for their
move on Sunday to report the pilots' association to police.

"The management's move is stupid and foolish. The dispute is
clearly not a crime, but a labor problem, which needs to be
settled by both parties," he said.

However, Jacob, a former outspoken labor activist, said he
would not suggest the pilots to stage a strike.

"I will be angry if such a strike should take place," he said.

After a long negotiation over their salary, Garuda's pilots
announced last month that they would take industrial action,
including going on strike.

While the pilots declined to reveal the details of their
demands, the management issued a statement last month saying that
the pilots were asking their pay be increased to between Rp 47
million (US$5,292) and Rp 88.8 million.

Several days after the pilots made their threat, Jacob
persuaded the pilots to postpone their industrial action and
guaranteed both parties that his ministry would mediate in talks
to reach a solution.

However, earlier this month, both sides left the negotiating
table empty-handed and last Monday, the pilots announced they
would go on full strike Tuesday.

Still, when the pilots declined to provide information on
their pay demand, the management said in its press statement that
during the negotiation, the pilots demanded co-pilots be paid
between Rp 6.9 million and Rp 11.9 million and pilots between Rp
13.8 million and Rp 24.1 million.

The management counter-offered that co-pilots be paid between
Rp 6.5 million and Rp 11.3 million and pilots between Rp 13.1
million and Rp 22.7 million.

Currently, co-pilots are being paid between Rp 3.9 million and
Rp 17.2 million and pilots, between Rp 5.5 million and Rp 22.5
million.

Garuda's management made a surprising move on Sunday to report
the pilots to police, calling for an investigation into a
possible violation of the law by the pilots in their plan to
strike.

The strike plan had caused jitters among Garuda's passengers,
and a travel agent in Central Jakarta told the Post Monday it had
received calls from worried clients who had booked flights for
Tuesday.