A novel form of industrial action is being carried out by a number of disgruntled pilots in China.

Local media reports say some pilots with a regional airline refused to land, and turned back to their point of departure, complaining of bad weather. Other airlines who flew the same routes that day are all said to have landed safely.



China Eastern Airlines (中国东方航空), China's third-largest carrier, has suspended two executives and some pilots who allegedly disrupted flights to express grievances over labor policies.

The Shanghai-based airline issued a statement late Monday confirming that 21 flights in southwestern China's Yunnan province were intentionally disrupted on March 31, a rare show of defiance in a country that bans unauthorized labor organizing.

Some of the pilots turned back midway claiming adverse weather conditions, even though other airlines were flying the same routes. Others landed their flights then took off again without allowing passengers to disembark.

The disruptions inconvenienced more than 1,000 passengers, China Eastern said. They also prompted investigations by the airline and by China's Civil Aviation Administration.

China Eastern officials earlier claimed the pilots had not landed their flights due to poor weather, but that was widely disputed by state media and customers.



"It has become clear that some of the flight turnarounds blamed on weather were really caused by human factors," the airline acknowledged.

"China Eastern again expresses its deep, deep apologies for causing inconvenience to our customers and a negative impact on society," it said in a statement on its Web site.

The airline said it suspended its Yunnan branch general manager, Yang Xu, and the Communist Party secretary for the branch, Li Mingdao. It did not say how many pilots were involved or penalized.

Local news reports attributed the action to disgruntlement among pilots over a policy requiring them to pay compensation of up to 2.1 million yuan (US$300,000; €191,000) for breaking lifetime contracts. The airline's pilots are seeking higher wages and freedom to work for another airline.

Other airlines have reportedly faced mass sick leave requests by pilots in another form of protest.

China Eastern's statement made no mention of the labor issues, but attributed the problem to weaknesses in its management. It vowed to improve its operations and to safeguard safety and the interests of its customers.

Source: ABC, IHT


Background:

US manufacturer Boeing expects 3400 aircraft will be bought by China-based airlines over the next 20 years, and one fact behind the number is - China's shortage of pilots, by 2015, China calls for 18,000 new pilots, which is doubling the current number.



source-asianoffbeat