By Moon Gwang-lip
Staff Reporter


Even before Asiana Airlines has recovered from the pilot strike, unionized pilots of Korean Air plan to launch collective action Friday.

The pilots of Korea’s largest airliner Thursday failed to reach a compromise with the management on demands for better working conditions.

They have been demanding an increase in rest time during long-haul flights, eased procedures in the medical examination and an extension of the retirement age.

Since July 4, they had staged a ``work-to-rule’’ protest for one month by slowing down the taxi speed on the runway. In addition, 24 representatives of the union have already been staging a walkout.

The company said, however, that there will be no disruptions to flight service Friday because it will hire replacement pilots.

The union said around half of the 122 unionized co-pilots of the B777 for routes to the United States and Southeast Asian destinations will stage a walkout.

``We are going on a partial strike out of consideration of the public to avoid a massive flight disruption,’’ said the union spokesperson, who declined to be identified.

``But if the management refuses to listen to us about flight safety, we are considering raising the strike level,’’ he said.

As more pilot rest time is indispensable to flight and passenger safety, the union will go its own way regardless of the public sentiment aggravated by the 25-day strike by Asiana Airlines pilots, the spokesman added.

The company defied the union’s claim, saying pilots already have enough rest time between flights.

But the company will do its utmost to reach an agreement through negotiation, said Hong Seog-ki, manager of Korean Air’s corporate communications.

``We will try to solve the dispute through negotiations with the labor union. Even if pilots go on strike, we will make every effort to minimize the disruption to flights,’’ Hong said.

joseph@koreatimes.co.kr