EVA Airways pilots could go on strike during the Lunar New Year and Tomb-Sweeping Festival if no agreement is reached with the airline, the Taoyuan Union of Pilots said in a statement yesterday.
The union’s board of directors convened yesterday to discuss details of the planned strike after the union and airline on Wednesday failed to reach a consensus following negotiations.
The board decided that the potential strike could take place between Feb. 7 and Feb. 18, and between March 30 and April 7.
Photo: Taipei Times
The announcement is for people who are scheduled to travel during the two holidays to prepare backup plans in advance, the union said.
“We will announce the start and the end of the strike and other relevant information on our Web site, www.tup.org.tw, 24 hours before the strike begins,” the union said.
The board meeting has authorized union staff to organize two or three drills before the strike to ensure that union members can accurately follow instructions when the strike begins, the union said.
“We are not giving up any opportunity to negotiate with EVA Airways management and will seek every opportunity to reach an agreement with the airline,” the union said. “As long as the airline gives concrete responses to our demands before the scheduled meeting on Wednesday, we would participate in the negotiation as planned.”
The Civil Aviation Administration in a statement urged the airline and its pilots to continue negotiations following the meeting on Wednesday.
Both sides should consider travelers’ interests and try to settle the dispute by showing goodwill and seeking a consensus, it said.
The union’s announcement has added to uncertainty for travelers, the agency said, adding that EVA Airways has been asked to deliver contingency plans for possible scenarios during the strike and put them on the airline’s Web site.
Taoyuan International Airport Corp, the operator of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, must also prepare for potential disruptions to flight services during the strike and respond accordingly, it added.
EVA Airways in a statement said that it would continue to negotiate with the union in the hope of reaching an agreement.
“If the union proceeds to strike, we would announce the flights affected on our official Web site and app. There would also be a specific Web page informing travelers about flight information updates,” the airline said.
Travelers affected by the strike would be able to request refunds or change tickets without any processing fees, the airline said, adding that it would do its best to help people transfer to other flights.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS