Asiana Airlines reached an agreement with its pilots' labor union on last year's wage negotiation. Although labor-management conflicts arose over issues such as improvements in treatment during the integration process with Korean Air and the sale of the cargo division, it seems to be resolved.
According to the aviation industry on the 27th, the Asiana Airlines pilots' union is conducting a vote on the tentative wage negotiation agreement reached with management since the previous day. The proposal incorporates a 5% increase in the basic salary suggested by management, along with some of the union's demands reflected in the wage increase plan. The wage negotiation will be finalized if a majority of union members participate in the vote by the 1st of next month and a majority approves it.
Asiana Airlines has decided to align the wages and treatment of its pilots with those of Korean Air pilots by the end of 2026, before the merger. The union has been demanding the unification of wage systems and treatment with Korean Air during the wage negotiation process, and this has been accepted.
However, demands for compensation for delays in transitioning to large aircraft were not accepted. Compensation for delays in transitioning to large aircraft refers to compensation arising from the loss of improvement opportunities for pilots due to delays in the transition to large aircraft work, which coincided with the spread of coronavirus infections and mergers and acquisitions.
Additionally, compensation and improved treatment for former crew members of Air Incheon, which were discussed along with the wage negotiations, was not reached, leading to continued separate discussions.
The pilots' union has demanded that management pay approximately 500 million won and 300 million won per person as compensation to over 200 pilots moving to Air Incheon due to the sale of the cargo division. The compensation plan is reported to amount to around 200 billion won, including employee flight tickets and unused uniform points.
With the agreement on the wage negotiation, the union has withdrawn the adjustment application submitted to the Labor Relations Commission. Previously, Asiana Airlines faced a crisis of a pilot strike as the union conducted votes on whether to engage in labor disputes during the wage negotiation process.