Eastar Air Pilots Union Files Administrative Lawsuit Challenging Unfair Dismissal

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Employees laid off from Eastar Jet have filed an administrative appeal, claiming that the Central Labor Relations Commission's (CLRC) decision was unfair.

The Public Transport Union Eastar Jet Pilots Branch held a press conference in front of the Seoul Administrative Court on the 12th, stating, "We were shocked by the CLRC's decision overturning the ruling that deemed the dismissal of 41 Eastar Jet workers unfair," and added, "We are filing an administrative appeal with the Seoul Administrative Court and urge a just and fair judgment based on legal principles."

They argued that the CLRC accepted the employer's claim without proper consideration, which sanctified the management's reasons and failed to acknowledge efforts to avoid layoffs.

Previously, Eastar Jet laid off 605 employees in October last year due to financial difficulties, and among them, 44 filed for relief with the Regional Labor Relations Commission (RLRC). The RLRC dismissed three cases as the employer withdrew the dismissals, but ruled that the dismissal of the remaining 41 was unfair and accepted their relief applications.

However, in August, the CLRC overturned the RLRC's decision that had accepted the relief applications of the 41 laid-off employees from Eastar Jet, issuing a cancellation of the initial ruling. Eastar Jet claimed that it made every effort to prevent layoffs by adjusting workdays and hours and offering voluntary retirement to normalize management.

The Eastar Jet Pilots Branch emphasized, "Eastar Jet management, responding to the demands of Jeju Air management, used COVID-19 as a pretext to render a sound company incapable of recovery," and urged, "We once again request a careful and strict judgment."

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