By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter


Labor Minister Kim Dae-hwan warned Friday that the government would invoke emergency arbitration as early as Saturday to end a strike by unionized pilots of Korean Air.

``We might have to take bold action against the walkout if the striking pilots fail to find a solution in negotiations with management soon,’’ Kim said, hinting that a government intervention is imminent.

The union and the management held a negotiation on a pay hike and better working conditions again on Friday afternoon, but without making any progress in narrowing their differences.

They will resume a negotiation on Saturday, and it is expected to be their last chance, considering the labor minister’s warning.

The government and the ruling Uri Party also warned that the government would intervene to terminate the collective action during a policy consultation meeting.

``The government and ruling party cannot just sit idle when the strike is disrupting the country’s air traffic and dealing a serious blow to the economy and the export industry,’’ said Rep. Won Hye-young, chief policymaker of the Uri Party.

He added that normalizing Korean Air’s flight operations is urgent because the carrier caters to more than half of Korea’s international cargo shipments.

The country’s business organizations, including the Korea Employers Federation (KEF), also called on the striking pilots to resume flight operations immediately, as the walkout is causing great inconveniences to air travelers and hurting the economy.

Korean Air canceled 253, or 63 percent of its scheduled 399 flights due to the work stoppage Friday.

Saturday, 266, or 69 percent of planned 388 flights will be cancelled, including 192 domestic and 52 international flights. And 262, or 66 percent of 395 flights will be grounded tomorrow.

Passengers are advised to check their flight schedules before leaving for the airports by calling the airline at 1588-2001.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr