Garuda Indonesia's pilots are threatening to go on strike on Thursday, July 28, 2011, local media, led by The Jakarta Post, is reporting. The work stoppage is planned to occur from 12am to 11.59pm on that day.
The cockpit crew and the airline management are at an impasse over pay parity with foreign pilots working on contract. The Indonesians are claiming that the imported professionals are being paid rates twice those given to them for doing the same work.
They are reporting that a foreign co-pilot gets US$7,200 a month, while a local captain receives $4,680 a month. However, Garuda says it has had to resort to this current policy due to the inability of local flight schools to graduate a sufficient number of qualified staff, adding that the foreign presence is temporary, with contracts only lasting 12 months.
In recent years, the airline has made great strides in improving efficiencies and expanding its fleet and network (click here). Thus, officials say, it needs more pilots to operate its future portfolio of 154 aircraft.
For more on the airline, visit www.garuda-indonesia.com
Margie T Logarta
