The Japan Federation of Flight Crew Unions issued a statement Tuesday supporting the crew union of All Nippon Airways in its ongoing dispute with management.

ANA's Crew Association, consisting of about 1,500 pilots and flight engineers, is resisting management's attempt to replace a flat 65-hour flight allowance with a pay system based on actual flight hours. The union went on strike for 15 days in April, forcing the airline to cancel some international flights, but suspended the walkout before the Golden Week holidays.

The union initially planned to resume the strike this week but canceled that plan after management offered a compromise that included compensation for wage cuts over a certain period under the new system. "The case of ANA greatly influences all (labor-management) relations (in the aviation industry)," said Tetsuya Muranaka, deputy president of the federation. "Although it is up to an individual union whether it conducts a strike, we hope to work jointly as much as we can."

ANA's union has decided not to resume the walkout before Tuesday, when it plans to hold a general meeting and determine its response to the company's offer. The current labor-management agreement requires the union to give 72 hours notice before going on strike. "The offer (by management) is not the solution to the dispute," Muranaka said. "We can only wait for negotiations to progress toward concrete discussion of a new wage system. We hope for a peaceful solution."

The union has criticized management for "forcibly" introducing the new wage system and "breaking" the current agreement. Some government officials, meanwhile, have criticized the union for disrupting public transportation.