Unionized pilots of South Korea`s flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. (KAL) threatened to go on strike during the unprecedentedly lengthy holiday week in early October that includes the three-day Chuseok holiday in protest to the wage dispute for the last two years.

The pilot union of the country’s top carrier warned 390 pilots will refuse to work from Oct. 1 to 7, a move that can upset flight schedules in the extraordinary long holiday season.

KAL has fallen under public interest protection law since 2010 that limits striking by 2,300 registered Korean passenger plane pilots.

Under internal rule, KAL must keep flights running at least 80 percent on international routes, 70 percent on Jeju Island route, and 50 percent elsewhere within the nation even under labor conflict.

Just 150 pilots walked out during the last strike in December.

The airport could turn chaotic if pilots refuse to fly during the peak Chuseok season and upcoming long week when a record number of Koreans are planning to go abroad.

“The union is playing very dirty by threatening a strike in the peak season to demand wage increases,” said a company official.

The union has run into conflict with the management and warned of protect activity since February last year. A week-long strike was avoided in March after its CEO Cho Won-tae made a personal plea to the union.

Cho promised good relationship with the union, but the labor and management failed to reach a compromise on salary terms.

The union demands backpay of 4 percent to the 2015 salary and 7 percent for 2016 as well as incentives. The management is offering to reimburse 1.9 percent in salary increases for 2015 and 3.2 percent for 2016 and offer other allowances instead of hiking the base salary.

“The management is making us take actions as it remains uncompromising although we have been easing our demands from the 30 percent hike,” said a union official.

KAL maintains it cannot offer backpay to pilots beyond 1.9 percent as agreed with non-pilot union members and claimed their strike cannot be legitimate as it skipped normal voting procedures.

Shares of KAL Friday closed 0.94 percent down at 31,500 won. The won fell 3.8 to 1,136.5 against the U.S. dollar.

By Kim Jung-hwan

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]