Asiana pilots` union legal; court

Following in the footsteps of the Korean Air pilots¡¯ labor union, that of Asiana Airlines also received court recognition of its legality.

In a suit that the Asiana pilots¡¯ union filed against the head of the Kangso-gu Office, who sought to block the establishment of the labor union, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff Friday.

Acknowledging that the existing labor union does not include cabin crewmembers and excludes them from union activities, the court ruled that the labor union to be created by pilots is different from the existing labor union and does not fall under the category of a plural union, whose establishment is prohibited under the labor union law.

The Asiana pilots¡¯ labor union submitted the report on its establishment after holding an inaugural meeting last June, but its request for recognition was refused on the grounds that it was a plural labor union.

Lee Jung-Eun lightee@donga.com