The Manila Chronicle
Saturday, November 2, 1996
Airline scratches 69 flights
By ETNA TERMINIO
Staff Member
AND JIM BILASANO
Correspondent
STRIKING employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL) defied yesterday a return-to-work order by the Department of Labor and Management (DOLE), saying they would deal only with Labor Chief Leonardo Quisumbing or President Ramos.
PAL Employees' Association (PALEA) leaders told reporters they won't follow the order coming from acting Labor Secretary Crecenciano Trajano whom they accused of engaging in political maneuvering. Trajano has been assigned to settle the dispute.
PALEA lawyer Arno Sanidad said the labor department did not give the strikers a chance to argue their case before the return-to-work order Thursday night.
The workers of the country's flag carrier staged a wildcat strike on Wednesday to demand pay increases and benefits.
On Thursday, DOLE directed all striking PAL ground personnel to report for work within 24 hours and stop any act that may make things worse.
DOLE likewise directed PAL management to accept them back without imposing disciplinary action.
Quisumbing was due to fly home late last night from Chicago.
About 20 international and 49 domestic flights of PAL were cancelled yesterday because of the strike.
But PAL management said it operated 33 international and domestic flights yesterday as operations begin to normalize with the return-to-work order.
PAL acknowledged it will have to scale down operations in order to maximize available manpower and equipment resources until such a time that all the strikers have returned to work.
Among the cancelled international flights were Manila to Hongkong, Xiamen, Frankfurt via Bangkok, Seoul, Vancouver, Kaoshiung, Jakarta, London, Narita, Los Angeles, Sydney, San Francisco, and Singapore.
Cancelled domestic flights were from Manila to Davao, Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan, Tacloban, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Zamboanga, General Santos City, Legaspi City, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Kalibo, Butuan, Cotabato, and Roxas City.
Picket lines were still up at the PAL in-flight center in Pasay, the domestic airport gates, arrival extension at NAIA, and the Duty Free Fiesta Center near NAIA.
Delays in the arrival and departure of PAL international flights were again felt yesterday. There were delays in the retrieval of baggage at the customs arrival area as well.
PAL flight 103 from Los Angeles, which was scheduled to arrive at 4 yesterday morning, touched down at NAIA at 11 a.m., or 7 hours late.
The strike comes at a time when the PAL has launched an ambitious expansion program that includes the acquisition of several aircraft and the upgrading of its computer services.
The airline has recently inaugurated its Manila-Vancouver-Newark route which aims to cash in on what has been considered a lucrative route because of the improvement in Asia-North America trade.
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