TAIPEI (Taipei News) — Members of the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union gathered outside the Judicial Yuan in Taipei on Friday to protest a recent decision by the Taiwan High Court, reported CNA. 

The High Court ruled in favor of Eva Air’s demand for compensation from the Taoyuan Flight Attendant’s Union for a labor strike organized in the summer of 2019. In its ruling, the Taiwan High Court overturned rulings by the Ministry of Labor and the Taipei High Administrative Court, which previously ruled in favor of the flight attendants union.  

The original strike was organized in July 2019 over claims of unfair treatment and demands for better working conditions by the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union. The strike lasted for nearly three weeks and had a major impact on Taiwan’s air traffic. 

Eva Air claims the strike was illegal because it violated the Act for Settlement of Labor-Management Disputes. Eva demanded remuneration from the labor union for losses incurred by the strike, valued at NT$34 million (US$1.18 million).

The Flight Attendants Union has referred to Eva’s lawsuit as “retaliatory” and said it was intended to intimidate labor unions. 

Eva’s request was initially rejected by the Taiwan High Administrative Court, which prompted the company to launch its appeal to the Taiwan High Court in 2022. After the Taiwan High Court decision, the case cannot be appealed further. 

However, this has not deterred the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union, which seeks a constitutional review of the High Court’s ruling. Friday’s protest at the Judicial Yuan was held to petition Taiwan’s Constitutional Court to hear the case, the final legal recourse available for the union. 

The Flight Attendants Union claims that Eva’s lawsuit is unconstitutional because it is retaliatory. They argue that the High Court’s decision also sets a precedent that will undermine the rights of unions to protest unfair working conditions in the future, according to an online statement issued by the union.