 |
Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] A labor dispute between pilot unions at Korean Air and Asiana Airlines over seniority integration has escalated into legal action.
The Korean Air Pilots Union (KAPU) announced on May 12 that it filed a defamation complaint against the Asiana Pilots Union (APU), notifying its members through official channels.
The conflict stems from a letter sent by APU Chairman Choi Do-sung to Korean Air management. In the letter, Choi reportedly claimed that many applicants rejected by Asiana later joined Korean Air after accumulating 1,000 flight hours. He also called for recognition of Asiana pilots’ prior years of service following the integration of the two airlines.
In response, KAPU issued a statement on May 11, accusing APU of spreading false information and damaging the reputation of Korean Air pilots, and proceeded to file a formal complaint.
“At issue are unverified claims and distorted assertions that harm the reputation of all Korean Air flight crew,” KAPU said.
The core of the dispute lies in differing hiring standards between the two airlines. Korean Air requires 1,000 flight hours for recruiting first officers from civilian backgrounds, while Asiana requires 300 hours.
Korean Air pilots argue that integrating seniority based solely on hiring date could create fairness issues, potentially allowing less experienced Asiana first officers to be promoted to captain ahead of more experienced Korean Air pilots.
Asiana pilots, however, maintain that their prior years of service should be fully recognized under the principle of employment succession following the merger.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
