The Manila Times
Friday, November 1, 1996
By ARIES RUFO
Reporter
and MACON ARANETA
Correspondent
AS THE strike of ground crew members of the Philippine Airlines entered its second day yesterday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) called an emergency dialogue in a bid to settle the dispute.
Thousands of passengers were stranded as 34 more domestic and international flights had to be canceled.
PAL management told striking employees they would be considered dismissed if they did not return to work by today.
"PAL management has advised striking personnel to return to work not later than Friday, Nov. 1, or be deemed terminated from the company," the national carrier said in a statement.
The same statement added that the management "is not ruling out administrative and civil actions against the strikes even after the picket shall have been lifted."
As of press time, the management, PAL Employees’ Association and DOLE were still at the negotiating table.
Tempers fly
The two-day strike caused a number of passengers to lose their tempers. It did not help that the work stoppage came on the eve of a long weekend for the All Saints' Day celebration.
"I have been yelling here for two hours. And I will yell and yell and ask more people to yell with me until they fly me to my destination," said an agitated Renato Gutierrez as he urged other stranded passengers to join him in his protest at the domestic airport.
While he said he sympathized with the PAL employees, Gutierrez demanded that he be flown to Cotabato City as he is scheduled to marry his girlfriend today.
At the domestic airport, Fely Sava, an overseas contract worker, said she had wanted to fly to Dumaguete City to visit the grave of her parents because she failed to attend their funeral when they died two years ago.
"Kaaalis ko lang kasi noon patungong Saipan kaya hindi ako pinayagan na aking employer na makauwi sa Pilipinas," she said. [ I had just arrived at Saipan so my employer did not allow me to come home to the Philippines.]
The strike also affected the plan of two sisters to attend the funeral of their mother in Dumaguete City.
The two women, who refused to be identified, branded the PAL workers as "senseless, brutal and irresponsible strikers."
Defiance
Jose Penas, National Secretary-General of the PALEA, said his members would defy management’s order and continue the strike until their demands are met.
"We will only return to work if management will give in to our demands. We have learned from our experience," Penas said.
The workers have accused PAL management of union-busting, saying the latter has hired contractuals to fill up the jobs of at least 2,000 regular workers.
Executive Secretary Ruben Torres, who has been tasked by President Ramos to monitor the PAL negotiations, said "extra measures" would have to be implemented should the talks bog down.
According to Torres, President Ramos wanted him to render whatever assistance was needed to facilitate the early solution of the dispute.
Optimism
He also hinted of the possibility of the government having to take over PAL operations should the dispute drag on.
The two parties met at the DOLE office in Intramuros with acting Labor Secretary Cresencio Trajano brokering the dialogue.
After two hours of discussions, the groups decided to adjourn the meeting. Talks resumed at 5 p.m.
Trajano said both parties are trying to "work out something" that would solve the impasse.
He added that he was "optimistic" that they would be able to come out with a workable solution to the dispute that has already embarrassed the government.
Sour note
But Penas, in a separate interview, revealed that the initial dialogue ended on a sour note as PAL representatives came to the meeting with nothing to offer the striking workers.
He added that the PAL management was belittling the talks when it sent three lawyers "who do not even represent the management."
"These lawyers have no authority to represent PAL. They cannot commit anything," Penas said.
He also said that the management acted in bad faith when it issued the return-to-work order. He noted that "it is the DOLE which has the authority to issue this."
But a highly placed source at the labor department said a return-to-work order is not likely to be issued as labor officials want the dispute to be amicably settled.
Intervention
Senate President Ernesto Maceda, however, urged Ramos to intervene in the labor dispute, saying the matter is of national interest.
The strike was PAL's third in two years. PALEA struck twice in 1994, the first time for one day and the second, for nine days.
PALEA filed a strike notice last Wednesday; hours before it went on strike. The union said workers are allowed to stage a strike immediately on grounds of union-busting.
PALEA and two other airline unions also want a new wage package worth P3.2 billion over the next two years. PAL has rejected this and instead offered to sell PAL shares worth P477 million at P5 per share to its employees.—With reports from Didet Danguilan and Raffy Jimenez
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