All Nippon Airways Co., Japan's second-largest airline, said it will cancel 115 flights today after pilots at four of its units began a one-day strike to protest pay and labor conditions.
Unions of four subsidiary carriers provided notice of the one-day strike today at 3:54 a.m. Japan time, the Tokyo-based company said in a faxed statement. The parent company's pilot union, representing 1,507 pilots and flight engineers, decided against a strike.
The four unions, representing 501 pilots, are seeking higher wages, recruitment of younger pilots, greater spending on safety and a shift from a profit-expansion strategy, as part of springtime labor negotiations. Today's walkout is the first since All Nippon pilots staged a strike in April 1998, company spokesman Fumiyoshi Fukumori said.
``We're protesting discrimination against subsidiary airlines on pay, other labor conditions and pressure on costs despite safety needs,'' said Yuzo Yoshimoto, chairman of Air Nippon Crew's Association. ``We're concerned the group's strategy of spending less on smaller and propeller-type planes operated by subsidiaries could cause accidents.''
Four unions at Japan Airlines Corp., Japan's largest airline, decided against a strike, the airline said in a faxed statement. Airline unions in Japan often use strike threats as bargaining tactics, only rarely leading to industrial action that causes flight cancellation.
All Nippon said it will cancel 115 of 863 domestic flights, and delay 40. No international services will be canceled. Normal operations will resume tomorrow, the airline said.
The three other unions that began the 24-hour strike are Air Nippon Network Pilot Union, Air Next Crew's Association and Air Central Pilots' Union.
All Nippon shares fell as much as 2 yen, or 0.5 percent, to 426 yen and traded at 427 yen as of 11 a.m. in Tokyo.
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