Japan Press Weekly

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2010 November 24 - 30 [LABOR]

JAL cabin attendants’ union sets strike date

A cabin attendants’ union of Japan Airlines (JAL) announced that it will go on strike on December 24 and 25 if the company refuses to withdraw its forcible dismissal plan.

This announcement was made in a collective bargaining session held on November 29 by the Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Union (with a membership of 870), one of JAL’s major cabin attendants’ unions, which has taken a critical stance in regard to the company’s management policies. If the company decides to call off the plan of “dismissal for reorganization”, the union will cancel the strike.

JAL already succeeded in achieving its goal to cut 1,500 jobs under the rehabilitation program. However, it made public on November 15 its intention to dismiss an additional 250 employees, including 110 pilots and 90 cabin attendants.

As for cabin attendants, the number of those who accepted voluntary retirement reached 732, exceeding the company’s target of 660. Even though it is obvious that JAL does not need to carry out further dismissals, JAL intends to discharge specific skilled cabin attendants.

Most of the experienced cabin attendants who are targeted by JAL for dismissal are members of the Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Union.

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The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) which affiliates over 100,000 airline pilots in over 100 countries around the world on November 29 sent to the Japanese government a statement calling for government mediation to settle the issue of JAL’s dismissal for reorganization.

In the statement, the IFALPA said that JAL’s dismissal plan ignores not only Japan’s labor laws but also international labor standards. It also expressed the fear that JAL’s forcible dismissal may have a harmful impact on aviation safety.
- Akahata, November 30, 2010