THAI strike called off, meeting today

After calling off their strike for bigger bonuses and wages at midnight on Saturday, Thai Airways International's labour union will meet today with management to see if the airline hsf made enough profit last year to afford a bigger payout.

THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuwan said yesterday that the management respected the protesters' demand for no criminal or civil or even disciplinary action for the work stoppage. Sorajak repeated that another demand - that workers at the C1-C7 pay scales earning Bt7,000-Bt30,000 be given a 7.5-per-cent raise in salary - had been approved.

Today's meeting was the third demand. THAI's operating results are being examined by the Auditor-General's Office with the report usually publicised around February every year, he said. The 30-hour strike, which began Friday evening, delayed 76 flights.

A key reason for the strike was "insufficient communication" between employees and management, so the union should seek talks with management before deciding to launch any future strike, he said.

Jaemsri Sukchoterat, chairwoman of the THAI Stewardesses Association and leader of the union, repeated a demand by the union that chairman Ampon Kittiampon quit.

"THAI employees do not accept Mr Ampon. It will be unhappy for both sides if he stays on, so he should leave," she said. A THAI source said that last year's gross profit reached about Bt1.9 billion and net profit Bt800 million.