PAL union submits CBA draft

By Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:48:00 10/09/2010

MANILA, Philippines—For the first time in 10 years, the ground crew labor union of Philippine Airlines has submitted a collective bargaining agreement proposal to the flag carrier’s management.
Gerry Rivera, Philippine Airlines Employees Association (Palea) president and concurrent vice chairperson of Partido ng Manggagawa, said PAL president Jaime Bautista himself received the proposal on Friday morning.

“This is a momentous event because for more than 10 years there have been no negotiations for the improvement of workers benefits,” Rivera said in a statement.

He said the PAL-Palea CBA was put on moratorium for 10 years in the wake of the bitter 1998 labor dispute that saw a pilots’ and ground crew strike, and the closure of the national flag carrier. The moratorium was extended for two more years under the term of previous union leaderships.
Rivera said the proposal submitted on Friday covers the years 2008 to 2013, saying that the CBA “should retroact to 2008 since the CBA moratorium was only for 10 years not 12.”

“We expect management to respond to our proposal and negotiate in good faith,” Rivera said.
He said the salient points of the CBA proposal include updating and upgrading of the pay scale of PAL employees.

“Too much wage distortion has been done to the pay scale so that there exists not only a severe contraction but to a certain extent an elimination of the quantitative differences between the job grades. We now aim to correct these distortions,” Rivera said.

He said the proposal retains but revises the provision of the old CBA prohibiting contracting out of existing positions, jobs, divisions and departments occupied by present or future regular employees. The proposal improves on the old by explicitly barring outsourcing.

“This particular provision protects job security and union representation. The planned mass layoff of some 3,000 PAL workers is illegal because of this CBA provision,” Rivera said.

He said the CBA proposal also contains provisions that enhance the retirement scheme.
“This is our way of saluting, recognizing and giving tribute to our loyal PAL workers and union members,” Rivera said.

PAL is concurrently negotiating a CBA with its flight crew. The negotiations have been deadlocked, however, on disputes over retirement age and gender discrimination. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has assumed jurisdiction over the case.

Baldoz has also assumed jurisdiction over the PAL-Palea row over the “mass lay off” of the airline’s workers.