House hopes to prevent pilot strike
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Legislators will meet with Garuda Indonesia pilots on Thursday in an attempt to persuade them to drop their plan to take labor action and to find the best possible solution to their pay dispute with the company's management.
"We have scheduled an official meeting with the (Garuda) pilots and the management next week to sort things out. However, tomorrow (Thursday) we will seek to at least stave off the labor slowdown planned for Jan. 26," said Sumaryoto, chairman of the House of Representatives Commission IV for infrastructure and transportation affairs.
Sumaryoto said the nation still faced financial difficulties and advised the pilots not to compare their working standards with those of international pilots living overseas.
He stressed that the pilots should take into account the public's interest in their fight for higher pay.
The Garuda Pilot Association announced on Tuesday that from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, all of Garuda's 639 pilots would take part in a labor slowdown, causing an hour delay for all flights.
If the management still refuses to meet the pilots' demands, the pilots will force all flights to be delayed by five hours the following week.
Ultimately, on Feb. 10, if their pay demands are still not met, the pilots will go on strike.
The union is demanding a basic monthly salary of between Rp 47 million (about US$5,200) and Rp 88.8 million for the pilots, compared with the current salary of between Rp 7.9 million and Rp 22.8 million.
Several travel agents said on Wednesday that reservations for Garuda flights remained normal despite the possibility of a strike. But, they predicted air travelers would shun the airline if the dispute was not soon settled.
"Even without the pay issue, Garuda already faces many competitors. A strike would taint their image and performance," Sjachrul Firdaus, general manager of Byoma Travel said, adding that Garuda was mostly used by businessmen on the account of its convenient schedule and punctuality.
However, Garuda spokesman Singgih Handoyo denied that Garuda would stop operating should union members go ahead with the strike.
He said that many pilots still understood the company was financially unable to meet the union's demand.
"Not all pilots agree with the union and we will maximize the 'service' of our remaining loyal employees," he said.