CAL to sue flight attendants union over protest

By Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

China Airlines (CAL, 中華航空) yesterday said it would file civil as well as criminal lawsuits against members of the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union — a majority of whom are CAL employees — for damage to its reputation and property as a result of a protest at the company’s offices in Taipei on Friday last week.

“The company has been sustainable and growing until now because of 12,000 hardworking employees and the efforts of all former employees. The interests of CAL employees and the sustainable development of the company should not be affected by a few people who acted out of self-interest and intend to divide people,” the airline said, adding it has taken legal action to preserve its corporate reputation and image.

The airline also condemned union members for their “illegal” and “disorderly” behavior during the demonstration, in which they criticized the company and hurled eggs at its office in Taipei.

The company dismissed the union’s allegations that it would fail to enforce “anti-free-riding” labor previsions by the end of the month, saying that it has done everything it could to improve benefits for employees and has met six of the seven demands presented by the union at a meeting on June 24.

The company and the union have yet to agree on how to enforce a two-way performance review system for employees, the airline added.

CAL management had agreed to meet all seven demands in a bid to end a strike launched by flight attendants on June 23, including a pay raise, changes to the place to report for work and the amount of paid leave given.

However, the union last week lodged a protest and threatened to strike again if the company insisted on extending the benefits to members of a separate union in the company, which had not joined the two-day strike.

The union said CAL breached the trust between the two parties first.

It was the irrationality of CAL management that poisoned its relationship with the union, which is the source of all the disputes, the union added.

“The protest was a legal and legitimate move, as was the resolution made at the union’s board meeting and general assembly. The demonstration was approved by the Taipei City Police Department’s Zhongshan Precinct,” the union said in a statement.

“The airline has broken its promises to the union. Rather than seeking to improve its relationship with the union through sincerity, trust and communication, the company is abusing corporate resources by suing the union. This sets a bad example,” the union added.