Two labor unions at Japan Airlines Corp. said Friday they have asked the International Labor Organization to intervene over the financially troubled airline's firing of pilots and cabin crew, saying the unions were not fully consulted about their dismissals.
The JAL Flight Crew Union and the Japan Airlines Cabin Crew Union said they have asked the Geneva-based organization to recommend that the Japanese government take action that would force JAL to annul the dismissal of the union members.
On Jan. 19, 146 former pilots, copilots and cabin crew members filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court, seeking to nullify the airline's decision to dismiss them as part of its rehabilitation efforts. Many of the plaintiffs belong to either of the two labor unions. They were among the 165 people the airline dismissed in December.
JAL, which filed for court-supervised bankruptcy protection in January last year, has said it had to fire them as its job-cut target was not fulfilled through a voluntary retirement program.