Political Tidbits

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Tuesday, November 5, 1996

By BELINDA OLIVARES-CUNANAN

The strike of the PAL employees' union ended the other day with both union and management agreeing to work out a new collective bargaining agreement by Nov. 21. This date is too close to the start of the Apec conference. What if the negotiations break down? Will Palea go on strike again during the Apec summit? Somehow, there's a nagging feeling Palea would try something again, and I'm glad President Ramos has assured the citizens that the government is prepared to handle such contingencies. There are also disturbing reports that leftist elements are out to disrupt the summit by staging strikes in public utilities such as PLDT and the MWSS as well as major hotels where foreign delegates will be billeted. We pray that the more sober elements in these unions will not let themselves be manipulated by some groups that are out to disrupt the summit.

These reports are obviously being seriously studied and monitored, and contingency plans are being drawn up. Cabinet Cluster E, which deals with national security issues, has been meeting frantically these days. It should prepare for any and all contingencies. Let's pray that everything goes well for Apec. It's the country's commitment, and our economic and political well-being is at stake here.

The PAL strikers sure got the public's ire, and the Chronicle editorial yesterday said it all for the citizenry when it demanded a public apology. Said the editorial: "The officers and men of Palea should issue a statement apologizing to the nation and pledging to give a little more respect to the national flag carrier. That should atone for its leaders' misjudgment and callousness.

"In the first place, the timing was really cruel. In trying to improve its leverage against management, the union officers backed up by people with vested interests, declared a wild-cat strike when citizens were about to leave to visit their departed ones in the provinces. If the union thought it was hitting businessman Lucio Tan, they were wrong. It was traveler Juan de la Cruz who was harmed by their act. "

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The trouble is that not only does the public realize that Palea was willing to violate sacred Filipino traditions, but also that the striking employees are enjoying salaries and perks far higher than those given by many other companies. Thus it's difficult for the people to sympathize with Palea's demand for a P3.2-billion additional salary package when the airline has been losing money and is trying to modernize its fleet to make it more competitive. The people realize that there's such a thing as tightening belts and sacrificing a little. The example of the United Airlines is always cited when sacrifices are mentioned. But the public perception is that Palea members only think of their own demand for higher wages, even at the cost of holding the country hostage.