TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taoyuan Union of Pilots (TUP) brought their grievances to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) on Monday (Dec. 18), demanding closer oversight of EVA Air amid a wave of dissatisfaction over wages and annual bonuses despite surging revenues.
The union has threatened to curtail the airline's rights if conditions are not improved by a set deadline and has declared its intent to hold a strike vote on Dec. 22.
EVA Air has been facing scrutiny for several issues, including understaffing that has led to at least six major safety incidents.
Pilots accuse the airline of excessive cost-cutting measures, which include hiring foreign pilots through illegal brokers, resulting in a workforce where foreign pilots nearly double the number of national pilots.
In the last year, EVA Air has seen a sharp decline in national pilots, with attrition of a hundred, roughly 10 percent of the total pilot workforce.
Moreover, EVA Air's approach to countering its manpower shortage with measures such as mandatory overtime, withheld leave, and a lack of adequate training while skirting costs on necessary equipment purchase has resulted in frequent safety incidents both in the air and on the ground, the union claimed.
In October, the Department of Labor under the Taoyuan City Government fined a brokerage firm NT$300,000 for violations of the Employment Service Act. However, the union is calling for a comprehensive labor inspection of EVA Air and continuous penalties in response to the workplace safety incidents.
Yang Po-wen, Senior Technical Specialist at the Department of Navigation and Aviation, MOTC, received a petition from the union, assuring that the ministry will prioritize flight safety and the public’s well-being, urging EVA Air for active engagement in dialogue.
The Ministry of Labor is also involved in labor-capital negotiations.
Should the pilots vote in favor of a strike, with the union aiming for a 70% to 90% approval rate, the result will be due on Jan. 5 and would determine the launch of the strike, contingent on EVA Air's demonstrated willingness to negotiate improvement measures earnestly.