Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia pilots said Tuesday they were sticking to a plan to go on strike Thursday as negotiations with management fell apart on Monday evening.
Garuda Pilots Association (APG) chairman Stephanus Geraldus Rahadi said the negotiations failed to bring the two parties closer.
“It was not even a negotiation. They [Garuda management] called it a dissemination of the company’s development or something, far from the main issue, so we walked out,” Stephanus told The Jakarta Post over the phone.
He added that a few senior pilots were present to back up the management, saying, “It looked like the management had tried to divide us.”
He insisted the strike was not merely about the gap of salaries between local and foreign pilots.
“Garuda’s management has obviously mismanaged the company,” Stephanus said.
“The management had to recruit foreign pilots because they did not anticipate a pilot shortage before buying new airplanes. It would not have happened had they thought about it.”
Stephanus said that there were as yet no plans to meet with Garuda’s management again.
Stephanus warned passengers planning to fly Thursday to change their travel plans because “we’re still going to strike,” he said.
Earlier in the morning, a number of Garuda’s senior pilots urged their colleagues not to go on strike, for the sake of the company and passengers.
The senior pilots, calling themselves Pilots Concerned with Garuda, said they would still fly on Thursday as they believe negotiations can still be conducted while carrying out their duties.
“Going on strike will only make things worse for the airline and neglect our passengers,” said the group’s spokesman, Manotar Napitupulu.
“There are plenty of other pilots who have decided not to fly,” he added, although he could not give an exact figure.
Manotar said the plan to go on strike had caused the price of Garuda shares to decline. “The strike, even for one day, will have repercussions for pilots and aircraft rotation for about a month,” he said.
Manotar said that currently, Garuda has about 800 pilots and needs another 500 pilots by 2012.
Garuda spokesman Pujobroto told kompas.com that the airline would deploy instructors to anticipate the strike.
“Usually the instructors are giving training but they will be prepared to fly if the strike takes place,” he said.
Air transportation director general Herry Bhakti Gumay said the Transportation Ministry would not interfere in the dispute, saying it was an industrial issue.
“However, we suggest that Garuda pilots cancel their plan to go on strike,” he said.
Garuda is still opening reservations for Thursday’s flights, of which Pujobroto said there were between 260 and 280.
APG’s plan to go on strike is also supported by the Garuda Employees’ Union (Sekarga) and the Garuda Indonesia Cabin Crew Association (IAKGI), with both groups citing poor working conditions due to the absence of a mutual working agreement.
Garuda’s board of directors is scheduled to hold a press conference on the matter on Wednesday.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
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