There have been concerns among those who have booked flights with flag carrier Garuda Indonesia around the upcoming Idul Fitri holiday due to reports that the airline’s pilots and crew are going on a massive strike over that period.
However, the most recent statement from the Workers Union and Garuda Indonesia Pilots Association (APG) said that any potential strike would be carried out on June 19 at the earliest, contradicting previous reports that the strike was going to be carried out on June 15 and 16, which are the exact dates upon which Idul Fitri falls and the expected peak of air travel for the holiday.
“We never said we would go on strike during the peak of [Idul Fitri], but we are also not going to cancel our plan to strike until there’s a response from the government to accommodate our aspirations,” said APG President Bintang Handono, as quoted by Tempo yesterday.
The Garuda pilots have spoken about a potential strike since early May, when they voiced their displeasure at what they perceive to be “mismanagement” of the state-owned company, such as the appointment of directors who were picked from the banking industry and who have no background in aviation. In addition, the pilots also threatened to strike over issues regarding contract employment, reductions in flight hours and the removal of annual salary raises, among other things.
APG said if Garuda and the government don’t listen to their demands, around 1,300 pilots and 5,000 crew members will go on strike.
The Idul Fitri holiday, including collective leave days, falls on June 11-20. Should Garuda’s pilots and crew decide to go on strike as early as June 19, then it could still disrupt plans for those flying back home from their holiday.
In the likely event of a strike, Garuda said they would utilize the remaining pilots and crew as much as they could, as well as temporarily hiring Air Force pilots.
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