87 JAL pilots file lawsuit protesting forcible retirement

Japan Press Weekly

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87 JAL pilots file lawsuit protesting forcible retirement

A group of 87 pilots of Japan Airlines (JAL) on November 4 filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court seeking a provisional order on JAL to suspend their forcible retirement, claiming that the method JAL uses to force pilots to accept early retirement violates their personal rights.

Under corporate rehabilitation procedures, JAL plans to slash 16,000 jobs by the end of this fiscal year. Since October, JAL has removed targeted pilots from their flight duties. More than 140 captains and co-pilots have been forced to take leaves from their work for the second month running.

Pilots are required to have more than three duties involving takeoffs and landings within 90 days. If they fail to meet this requirement, their flight duties are restricted. In addition, if pilots are not engaged in flight duties for more than 60 days, they may lose their job qualification.

The complainants said that being excluded from flight duties is the same as being forced to voluntarily retire under a situation in which they are isolated from colleagues, and that they are struggling with the fear for losing their qualifications as pilots and suffering from extreme mental anguish.

At a news conference held on the same day, a pilot who received a blank schedule said, “During August, a peak season, I worked hard to maintain flight safety without taking any time off. However, JAL suddenly took away my job and in an individual interview I was asked, ‘Why do you want to remain at JAL?’

“I want to help to solve problems and contribute to JAL’s rehabilitation,” he added.

- Akahata, November 5, 2010