The first-ever strike by flight attendants in Taiwan has ended after two days of stoppage that saw almost 200 flights cancelled and about 30,000 passengers stranded, media reports said on Sunday (June 26).
China Airlines (CAL) was forced to cancel 55 of 81 scheduled flights on Saturday, on top of 122 on Thursday and Friday, after the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union which represents 2,500 CAL flights attendants started the protest on Thursday, Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
Hundreds of flight attendants staged a sit-in outside the firm's office in Taipei, protesting a new requirement that they report for work in Taoyuan -- on the outskirts of Taipei -- rather than downtown Songshan airport, Agence France-Presse reported.
The protest came to an end late Friday after new CAL management agreed to all seven demands raised by the union, including increasing overseas flight subsidy from USD 2 per hour to USD 5 and annual rest days from 118 to 123, CNA said.
The company suffered daily losses of some NT$280 million (USD 8.61 million) during the strike, and would have to set aside an additional NT$200 million (USD 6.15 million) annually to meet the union's demands.
The travel agent association estimated at least 400 tourist groups were affected by the strike, and estimated losses to total nearly NT$50 million (USD 1.54 million).
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