The massive strike has grounded hundreds of flights
EVA Air announced plans to hire about 200 flight attendants this year, including men and foreign candidates – a first for the Taiwanese airline.
The news comes amidst a massive cabin crew strike that will ground a total of 852 flights, according to an EVA Airways spokesperson.
Flight attendants are demanding higher pay and better working conditions, with their union voting to strike last week after negotiations with the company failed, reported Bloomberg.
The strike started last Thursday and involves more than 2,000 staff, according to the local flight attendants’ union’s Facebook page. The airline is seeking to continue discussions with staff.
Flights between Taipei and Hong Kong – one of the world’s busiest international air routes – as well as from Taiwan to Japan, Singapore, London and New York will be affected, according to EVA Air’s website.
EVA’s president Clay Sun said that there will “not be any difference” between jobs for male and female flight attendants. They will also be paid the same rates.
Currently, all 4,200 flight crew members are women, reported Central News Agency. The decision to expand their recruitment drive was made after a shareholders’ meeting.
Sun said EVA would aim to ensure “sustainable operations to support all of its 20,000 employees” to deal with the impasse, as flight cancellations between June 20 to 23 have resulted in about US$19 million loss of revenue.
The strike is the second in Taiwan this year. Staff of China Airlines Ltd., Taiwan’s largest carrier, went on a strike in February, stopping work for seven days. Pilots reached a deal with China Airlines on compensation that was estimated to add about US$3.6 million to the carrier’s annual costs.
