Japan Press Weekly

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2015 February 4 - 10 [LABOR]

JAL pilots’ appeal also turned down

The Supreme Court on February 5 rejected the legal claim by 64 former JAL pilots following the previous day’s rejection of an appeal from dismissed flight attendants against a high court decision.

The plaintiffs held a news conference in Tokyo and the head of FA plaintiffs Uchida Taeko said, “I don’t think the top court properly dealt with our case.” Yamaguchi Hiroya representing the pilot complainants said, “The rejection of our appeal seemed to have been a foregone conclusion from the outset.”

Uchida trying to fight back tears said, “Two ILO recommendations (which call for management-union consultations) have kept my spirit up in the court struggle, but our case was easily dismissed.”

Yamaguchi called for continued support for their struggle “to protect employment and ensure air safety by stopping JAL from ushering arbitrary dismissals.”

Kamijo Sadao of the counsel for the plaintiffs said that the high court failed to ask the air carrier to prove whether mass layoffs were essential to survival in the first place. He lifted his voice, saying, “The Tokyo High Court turned its back on the case and the Supreme Court didn’t even intend to hold a hearing.”

Representatives of the JAL Flight Crew Union and the Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Union expressed their determination to “use strike action as a tactic to seek settlement” and press the company to “reinstate the experienced crew members”.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki published a comment promising continuing with efforts in a concerted action with the plaintiffs and their lawyers “to achieve the withdrawal of their dismissals and their return to work”.

Past related articles:
> High court approves unfair dismissal of JAL pilots [June 6, 2014]
> Dismissed JAL workers appeal court judgments [April 13, 2012]