16 Aviation Industry Unions "Government Employment Retention Support Must Be Extended"

Support Funds Ending This Month
Industry Voices Hardship Due to Financial Struggles

(From left) Park Sang-mo, Chairman of the Jin Air Labor Union; Lee Byung-ho, Chairman of the Jeju Air Pilots Labor Union; Choi Hyun, Chairman of the Korea Pilots Labor Union Federation; Cho Sang-hoon, Chairman of the Korea Airport Labor Union; Kang Doo-cheol, Head of the Asiana Airport Branch. Photo by the Pilots Labor Union Federation

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The Aviation Industry Labor Union has urged the government to extend the employment retention subsidy.

On the 1st, 16 labor unions related to the aviation industry, including airlines and ground handling companies, stated that the government’s employment retention subsidy should be extended.

The 16 labor unions from 15 aviation companies, including the pilot unions of Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, and Jeju Air, the Korea Airport Labor Union, and the Seoul Airport Limousine Labor Union, said in a joint appeal demanding the extension of the employment retention subsidy, "The COVID-19 situation has not improved at all, but the support period ends on September 30," adding, "The employment insecurity of 170,000 aviation industry workers will inevitably increase."

The employment retention subsidy is a system where the government supports workers on paid leave by covering 70% of their average monthly wage for up to 180 days annually, with the government and companies sharing the cost at a 9:1 ratio. Airlines have been receiving support until this month’s 30th after the support period was extended by 90 days in June.

Cho Sang-hoon, chairman of the Korea Airport Labor Union, and Choi Hyun, chairman of the Korea Pilots Labor Union Federation, who represented the unions, held a relay one-person picketing campaign, voicing a unified call for the extension of the employment retention subsidy.

They lamented, "50% of ground handling aviation workers who support aircraft operations are already being laid off on the condition that they return once COVID-19 ends," adding, "Among them, 30% have moved to worse working environments due to financial hardship."

They further added, "50% of those who narrowly escaped being laid off are currently on unpaid leave without any support from the government or companies, falling into a legal blind spot."

If the government’s employment retention subsidy ends, the aviation industry plans to convert about half of the workers, excluding essential personnel, to unpaid leave. Workers who apply for unpaid leave receive 50% of their leave allowance from the government.

The joint appeal was signed by 16 labor unions from 15 companies, including the Korea Airport Labor Union, Asiana Airport Co., Ltd. Labor Union, Incheon Airport Cabin Labor Union, Incheon Airport Catering Labor Union, World Unitech Labor Union, K·A·C Labor Union, Asiana Airport Branch, Airport Limousine Labor Union, Korea Urban Airport Labor Union, Seoul Airport Limousine Labor Union, K Limousine Labor Union, Jin Air Labor Union, Jeju Air Pilot Labor Union, Air Busan Pilot Labor Union, Asiana Airlines Pilot Labor Union (APU), and Korean Air Pilot Labor Union (KAPU).

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