INDONESIA State Minister for State Enterprises, Mustafa Abubakar, has urged Garuda Indonesia to resolve the ongoing conflict between its pilots and management (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 14).
Abubakar said: “We hope the management can handle the situation to avoid the strike occurring and disrupting the company’s operation.”
Garuda’s local pilots are threatening to go on strike if the national carrier refuses to meet their demands for pay equity with their foreign counterparts.
At a press conference in Jakarta last Friday, Garuda Indonesia Pilots Association (APG) president, Stephanus Rahadi, said: “The significant salary difference between the foreign and Indonesian pilots is a fatal mistake the management has made. While they are paid much higher, their competence is not better than the locals’.”
Rahadi said the association was planning to launch their strike on July 28.
In response to the threat, Garuda issued a media statement indicating that the airline was ready to sit down and hold talks with APG.
