Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2018 November 7 - 13 [LABOR]

JAL labor unions rally to win more workers and better working conditions

November 9, 2018

Seeking to attract more workers and better working conditions in order to ensure aviation safety, union workers at Japan Airlines on November 7 held a rally at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

Representatives from unions in Japan’s flagship carrier spoke about the actual status of the labor shortages.

A representative of the JAL Flight Crew Union (JFU) said, “Chronic staffing shortages make it difficult for flight crew members to take days off. The company, however, takes a ‘no problem’ stance by claiming that there have been no flight suspensions due to labor shortages.”

A representative of a union representing ground handlers at an JAL affiliate in Osaka, JAL Ground Service Co., Ltd., reported on the situation, saying, “Due to the labor shortage, we always struggle to provide necessary services to flights during a stopover.”

A representative of the JAL ground crew union, Japan Airlines Labor Union (JLU), said, “Aiming to earn more profits, JAL intends to obtain commissions from foreign airlines by offering contracts to carry out routine maintenance of their airplanes. This, however, will lead to a shortage of workers assigned to JAL aircraft maintenance.”

JFU officer Shibata Toshihiro pointed out that despite the negative impact on flight operations from frequent major natural disasters this past summer, JAL posted profits of 96.8 billion yen, a similar level to last year. “JAL should hire more workers and improve existing workers’ working conditions,” he added.