"Am I Getting Fired If Merged with Korean Air?"... Spreading Anxiety at Asiana

Asiana Union Voices Rising Opposition to Merger
Pilots and General Staff Unions Hold Joint Press Conference
"Oppose Merger... Collective Resignation if Forced Transfer to Air Incheon"

The labor unions of Asiana Airlines, which is set to merge with Korean Air, have raised their voices against the merger. There also appears to be growing anxiety about job security within the company.

According to industry sources on the 10th, the Asiana Airlines Pilots Union and the Asiana Airlines Labor Union plan to hold a press conference on the 11th at the Federation of Korean Trade Unions in Jung-gu, Seoul, to voice their opposition to Korean Air's acquisition and merger of Asiana Airlines. The unions argued, "The monopoly in the aviation industry is likely to lead to higher fares and lower service quality," and expressed concerns that "job losses are inevitable and the national aviation industry's competitiveness may decline."

The merger between the two companies has now passed the critical point. The sale of Asiana Airlines' cargo division, a condition for approval of the corporate merger by the European Union (EU), has been completed. Accordingly, the unions are expected to focus more on job security after the merger rather than opposing the merger itself. The Asiana Airlines Pilots Union stated, "Korean Air, which promised to guarantee employment, has remained silent for months despite requests for meetings," and warned, "If Asiana Airlines' cargo pilots are forcibly transferred to Air Incheon, we will not hesitate to take collective resignation action." They also plan to file charges of breach of trust against Won Yu-seok, CEO of Asiana Airlines.

Not only the unions but also internal members are increasingly anxious about employment after the merger. There are rumors that only flight attendants below a certain seniority level will be transferred to Korean Air after the merger, while the rest may be moved to affiliated low-cost carriers (LCCs). The anxiety among members has intensified as Asiana Airlines excluded the cabin crew position from its new recruitment conducted for the first time in five years. Asiana Airlines stated, "No plans regarding future personnel allocation have been decided yet."

Korean Air employees are also feeling uneasy. This is because, once the merger process intensifies from the end of the year, low-performing employees may be 'demoted' and dispatched to Asiana Airlines. An industry insider commented, "A certain level of workforce restructuring is inevitable."