Garuda Indonesia pilot strike ends early, few delays

A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-800 airplane taxis on the tarmac at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang in outskirt of Jakarta July 28, 2011.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Garuda Indonesia (GIAA.JK), the nation's flag carrier, said on Thursday that a one-day strike by pilots ended early with few flight delays, after a meeting between the firm and union leaders was brokered by the government.

"Both parties have agreed to discuss the differences during Ramadan and it is expected that we will reach a deal," said Garuda spokesman Pujobroto, referring to the country's Islamic holiday month in August.

The company earlier said its operations were running normally on Thursday despite the strike by about a quarter of its pilots over wage inequality.

Local media reported only two domestic flights, from cities in Sulawesi and Sumatra islands to Jakarta, were delayed.

Garuda's pilot union, which has 650 members, launched the strike as a protest over higher pay given to foreign pilots.

The airline, which flies across Asia as well as to the Middle East and Europe, deployed 130 back-up pilots to make up for the strike by about 200 pilots, Garuda's chief operating officer Ari Sapari told Reuters.

Shares in Garuda rose to end 2 percent higher on Thursday, outperforming a Jakarta index .JKSE that fell 0.7 percent. The stock has slid around 30 percent since its debut in February.

This was the second Indonesian strike in July over wages after thousands of local workers at Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold's (FCX.N) Grasberg mine, one of the world's biggest copper and gold mines, went on strike for eight days, demanding hefty pay rises.

(Reporting by Janeman Latul; Editing by Neil Chatterjee)