Garuda reaches agreement with unions, ending threat of planned strike

JAKARTA — National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia announced on Friday that its pilots and workers had canceled their planned strike after the management reached an agreement with their respective labor unions.

Garuda Indonesia president director Pahala N. Mansury said that the parties arrived at an agreement on Thursday, when representatives of the Garuda Pilots Association (APG) and the Garuda Workers Union (Sekarga) met with State-Owned Enteprises Minister Rini Soemarno.

“We are committed to maintaining and improving the company’s performance […],” Pahala said in a press statement that was issued jointly with the two associations. “They have cancelled the planned strike and are committed to continuing the airline’s operation.”

Pahala said that the management and the associations were also gearing up for the hajj program that would commence on July 17, during which more than 200,000 pilgrims are expected to fly to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The agreement has put an end to the prolonged tension between the airline and its pilots and workers.

The two labor unions had threatened to go on strike in the second week of July if the management did not resolve the issues APG and Sekarga had raised, including mismanagement.