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The Labor Ministry on Tuesday decided to intervene in a protracted Asiana Airlines labor dispute now nearing its fourth week and announce emergency arbitration on Wednesday morning. That means the carrier¡¯s striking pilots will have to go back to work immediately and face criminal charges if they fail to do so.
Labor Minister Kim Dae-hwan discussed emergency arbitration with National Labor Relations Commission Chairman Shin Hong on Tuesday and said he reported the overall situation and government plans to arbitrate at Tuesday¡¯s Cabinet meeting.
The ministry says a strike immediately ends once emergency arbitration is announced, while labor and management must go back to the negotiating table and stay there for up to 30 days. If that fails to produce results, the government steps in and forces a compromise.
Since its introduction in 1963, the emergency arbitration right has been used only twice: in a Korea Shipbuilding Corp. strike in 1969 and a Hyundai Motor walkout in 1993. The Korea Shipbuilding union staged a two-month strike, and management for the first time in the country¡¯s history retaliated by shutting down the company. It took three days to reach agreement once the government stepped in.
When the Hyundai Motor Labor Union went on strike for a Biblical 40 days, then-labor minister Lee In-je announced emergency arbitration and the dispute was settled within a day.
Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines management and pilots negotiated overnight Monday but again failed to reach agreement over thorny issues like union participation in management decisions. Airline representatives returned to Seoul on Tuesday morning saying the union was not willing to negotiate and there was no point in further talks.
The carrier said 112 out of 290 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, 10 international, 98 domestic and four cargo flights. On Wednesday, 103 out of 291 flights -- five international, 89 domestic and nine cargo flights -- will be grounded, the company said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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