"For the last 290 days, we've met with the management to reach an agreement, but the management is just forcing the union to back down without making any changes from their original stance. The management has been also putting our members at a disadvantage and meting out penalties to the union executives," the pilots union was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
According to the media, the pilots are seeking a 37-percent rise in salaries and improvement of working conditions, though the company was ready to propose a 1.9-percent increase, in accordance with the wage growth rate for other non-pilot workers.
The strike though would not have great impact on international and domestic flights, as according to the government’s ruling the union must maintain at least 80 percent of international flight operations and 50 percent of domestic routes to minimize disruptions.
The final negotiation session between the company and pilots union on wage agreement is scheduled for Wednesday.
