Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to cut employees' salaries by 5% and withdraw bonuses as part of its financial restructuring.
The carrier has spoken to its eight staff unions about the wage cut and the forgoing of the summer and winter bonuses in the 2010 fiscal year starting from April, says a JAL spokeswoman.
"These will be applied to the 16,000 staff of Japan Airlines International - the group's core subsidiary," she adds.
JAL is considering corresponding adjustments to the wages of other group subsidiaries with a different salary structure from Japan Airlines International, says the spokeswoman.
While it is unclear how much the wage cuts will save JAL, Japan's Nikkei business daily reports that the airline aims to reduce annual personnel costs by ¥30 billion ($330 million).
JAL filed for bankruptcy protection on 19 January after incurring ¥2.3 trillion in debt, and has pledged to cut unprofitable routes, slash workforce numbers and renew its fleet as part of a financial restructuring process.
The Japanese government has promised up to ¥900 billion to keep JAL operating in the meantime.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
