The 2016 China Airlines flight attendants strike refers to a labor strike launched in June 2016 by the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union in the Republic of China (Taiwan), targeting the cabin crew department of China Airlines. After obtaining the legal right to strike, the union announced the strike would begin at midnight on June 24, 2016, with members ceasing to provide labor services. The strike lasted for three days, with operations resuming in the early morning of June 27. However, a consensus between labor and management was reached as early as June 24, making it a successful case of labor action. It was also the second large-scale strike in Taiwan since the Taiwan Railways Administration engineers' strike on May 1, 1988.
This event was the first ever strike by flight attendants in the Republic of China. It was also the second instance in Taiwan's aviation history where aviation employees obtained the legal right to strike, following the 2015 efforts by the Taoyuan Pilots Union. These legal rights were made possible by amendments to Taiwan's "three labor laws" in 2011. However, since the pilots union ultimately did not launch a strike, the 2016 strike marked the first instance where legally sanctioned strike rights were both obtained and exercised.
Background China Airlines is the national carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Even after privatization, the government has retained significant control over the company. Due to recurring disputes over issues like crew rest times and wages, China Airlines has experienced several labor-management conflicts in the past.
After the launch of cross-strait charter in 2008 and the signing of a new aviation agreement between Taiwan and Japan in October 2011, flight frequencies rapidly increased. Additionally, the rise of low-cost carriers led to a surge in overnight "red-eye" flights. Traditional carriers, trying to stay competitive, also began adding more red-eye routes, significantly disrupting the biological clocks of Flight attendant. Meanwhile, surging global oil prices made profitability difficult for airlines, prompting executives to cut costs wherever possible. As a result, working conditions deteriorated, leave became scarcer, and wages were reduced.
According to Taiwan's Trade Union Act, only one union is allowed per enterprise. If a company union is controlled by management, the union's ability to represent workers is weakened. This was the case with China Airlines' own union. Although in 2013, labor representatives gained control over the union's third chapter (primarily composed of flight attendants), and participated in several protest actions, the chapter was not recognized by management as a valid negotiation counterpart. To obtain legal rights to labor disputes, the chapter was restructured in November 2015 into the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union.
On May 5, 2016, China Airlines announced, in accordance with its internal policies, that starting from June 1, flight attendants' check-in location would be changed from Songshan District in Taipei City to the company's headquarters in Taoyuan City. At the same time, the company unilaterally required flight attendants to sign a responsibility agreement based on Article 84-1 of the Labor Standards Act. However, this move would result in reduced rest time between assignments for the flight attendants. Under the responsibility system, flight attendants were also expected to use their own time to complete tasks that were previously counted as working hours. As a result, the implementation of the new system made flight duties more exhausting due to insufficient rest time.
Pre-strike negotiations On the morning of May 13, at 10:00 AM, more than 150 flight attendants organized by the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union protested in front of the Ministry of Labor, opposing China Airlines' changes to working conditions. Protesters accused the company of exploiting Article 84-1 of the Labor Standards Act to circumvent labor protections and demanded a return to standard labor conditions. The union also displayed over 1,000 authorization forms signed by China Airlines flight attendants and consent forms required by the company for the new policy, demonstrating their readiness to launch a strike.
In response, the Ministry of Labor urged both sides to communicate sincerely and in good faith without violating labor laws. China Airlines expressed a willingness to examine the issues and make adjustments.
On May 20, during the early stages of the strike threat, China Airlines' General Manager Chang Yu-Hern submitted his resignation, which was not accepted by then Minister of Transportation and Communications, Hochen Tan.
On the afternoon of May 31, the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union joined forces with the Pilots Union, which was dissatisfied with accumulated leave days, and the China Airlines Maintenance Workers Union, which was demanding better working conditions. Together, over a thousand employees—including pilots, flight attendants, and maintenance workers—staged a large-scale protest. Beginning at 4:00 AM, three flight attendants—Luo Yongxiang, Hong Beidi, and Xie Yizhong—protested in front of China Airlines' Taipei branch by standing for 12 hours to highlight the physical toll of red-eye flights, especially on long routes such as Changchun, Phnom Penh, and Bangkok, where in-flight work could last up to 11–12 hours. The protest received support from some members of the public.
That same morning, General Manager Chang Yu-Hern issued a five-point statement, acknowledging shortcomings in communication but denying that the policy changes had affected working hours or workers' rights. He also suggested submitting the dispute to arbitration to prevent further social unrest.
Despite Chang's appeal for employees to remain at their posts, the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union announced plans for a collective leave action on June 9, the Dragon Boat Festival. The Pilots Union also declared that 800 union members would take leave on the same day. In response, Chang stated that 20 employees who had recently transitioned from flight attendant roles to ground positions would be reassigned to fill the staffing gap.
Following these protests and the union's threat of a strike, China Airlines retaliated by dismissing key members of the Maintenance Workers Union, including Liu Huizong and Zhu Meixue. This move drew criticism from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Tuan Yi-kang.
On June 13, China Airlines requested the Taoyuan City Government to initiate compulsory arbitration. However, Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan urged the airline to proactively communicate and negotiate with the union to resolve the conflict. The city's Labor Bureau also noted that compulsory arbitration would prevent the union from holding a strike vote, thereby infringing upon workers' right to strike. Moreover, unlike voluntary arbitration, compulsory arbitration is not binding, and if the union rejected the outcome, further mediation would be required—potentially leading to an endless loop.
Response from the chairman China Airlines Chairman Sun Hung-Hsiang stated that since all other China Airlines employees reported for duty at the Taoyuan Airport, agreeing to the union's demand for Taipei check-ins would be unfair. Regarding the union's demand to raise overseas per diem allowances for flight attendants, Sun said that China Airlines had already agreed to increase the rate from USD 2 per hour to USD 3, which was higher than the industry average. However, the union insisted on USD 5 per hour, which he argued would place a significant financial burden on the company's future operations.
Strike vote Although the May 31 demonstration garnered significant support from employees, China Airlines insisted on enforcing the new check-in policy and did not respond positively to the demands. After negotiations between the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union and China Airlines failed, the union decided to initiate the strike procedure for flight attendants employed by China Airlines. On June 10, the union conducted a strike vote limited to 2,638 union members working as flight attendants for China Airlines, setting up voting stations in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taoyuan. A 70% approval threshold for the strike was also established during an ad hoc union delegate meeting. The vote received strong support from China Airlines' flight attendants. The Taoyuan City Government's Labor Department stated that it would not proceed with mandatory arbitration, and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan also emphasized the importance of equal negotiations between labor and management, noting that there was no precedent for compulsory arbitration in Taiwan, and even arbitration requires further labor-management negotiations.
In response to the strike vote, the China Airlines Enterprise Union held a press conference in Taipei on June 20, criticizing the strike as being led by a union external to China Airlines and alleging external manipulation of the movement. They also called for job stability and protection of workers' rights. However, these statements drew criticism from the Taoyuan Confederation of Trade Unions, which accused the enterprise union of acting as a "company-controlled union," claiming that it no longer represented grassroots employees and that pilots, maintenance staff, and flight attendants had to establish separate unions. During the strike, members of the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union were not required to report to work, and China Airlines, as the employer, was not obligated to pay them.
Strike vote passed On the evening of June 21, the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union began counting the votes. The result showed 2,535 in favor of striking, 9 against, and 3 invalid ballots—an approval rate of over 99.5%, far exceeding the 70% threshold. The union thus announced it had obtained the legal right to strike and would officially launch the action during the summer vacation, planning another protest by the end of June. In response, both the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China said they would actively mediate and encourage ongoing negotiations. The Ministry of Labor expressed respect for the union's actions, while the Ministry of Transportation urged the union to make some concessions.
Following the union's acquisition of strike rights, China Airlines issued a statement saying it would not abandon communication and was drafting alternative plans to deal with the strike. The Consumers' Foundation stated that China Airlines must adapt without compromising passenger safety. On the morning of June 22, China Airlines General Manager Chang Yu-heng expressed regret over the union's unwillingness to communicate and stated that the company was willing to negotiate sincerely, hoping the union would not proceed with the strike. China Airlines also questioned the discrepancy between the number of people who voted and the figures announced by the union and said it had prepared over 600 backup personnel and contingency plans. These included adjusting flight schedules, changing aircraft, and requesting other airlines to assist with passenger transfers to minimize disruption.
That same morning, more than 20 members of the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union held a press conference at the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), titled "Does the CAA Care That China Airlines Ignores Flight Safety?" A scuffle briefly broke out. The union questioned the CAA's handling of aviation safety during the strike and criticized its lack of action against China Airlines for ignoring labor rights. Regarding China Airlines' plan to recall retired flight attendants after only four days of training, the CAA stated that former staff must undergo adequate retraining or face penalties.
Strike begins