Eight Domestic Pilot Unions Form Single Federation, Demand "Removal from Essential Public Service Status"

"6000 Civil Aviation Pilots Unite to Vigorously Push for 'Essential Public Enterprise' Status Removal"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The eight existing domestic pilots' labor unions have decided to form a single federation. They emphasized, "We will unite the will of 6,000 civilian pilots to resolutely revoke the designation of essential public service workplaces and improve the backward aviation safety policies of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

According to the Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of the Korea Pilots' Labor Union Federation on the 3rd, the chairpersons of the eight individual unions held a resolution meeting on the 30th of last month at the Jin Air union office in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, formed the preparatory committee, and agreed to establish the pilots' federation.

The unions participating in the resolution meeting were the eight organizations: ▲Korean Air Pilots' Union ▲Korean Air New Pilots' Union ▲Asiana Pilots' Union ▲Asiana Open Pilots' Union ▲Air Busan Pilots' Union ▲Eastar Jet Pilots' Union ▲Jeju Air Pilots' Union ▲Jin Air Labor Union.

They elected Han Tae-woong, chairman of the Air Busan Pilots' Union, as the preparatory committee chairman, and Park Sang-mo, chairman of the Jin Air Union, as the secretary-general.

In the founding resolution, the preparatory committee stated, "With the end of the duopoly era of the two major airlines and the current situation where numerous low-cost carriers (LCCs) and foreign airlines are operating in our country, the air transportation business is no longer an essential public service workplace," and emphasized, "The government must immediately revoke the designation of essential public service workplaces that severely infringe on pilots' basic labor rights."

Additionally, the preparatory committee set goals such as correcting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's backward policies and fostering solidarity with domestic and international aviation organizations.

Meanwhile, following the amendment of the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act in 2006, the air transportation business was designated as an "essential public service." Aircraft piloting was also classified as an essential maintenance task under the enforcement decree of the same law, meaning that even if pilots go on strike, personnel related to essential tasks must remain. This significantly weakened the labor unions' bargaining power.

In response, the labor sector has demanded the revocation of the essential public service workplace designation, arguing that with the growth of LCCs and foreign airlines, the duopoly of the two major national airlines has been broken.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.