Friday, 24 September 2010 00:00
BY DARWIN G. AMOJELAR SENIOR REPORTER
THE MANILA TIMES
TALKS between Philippine Airlines (PAL) management and its cabin-crew union for a salary hike and changes in retirement age were deadlocked again, but both parties “agreed in principle” to expand maternity benefits.
In a statement, Cielo Villaluna, PAL spokesman, on Thursday said that the flag-carrier offered an additional P25 million in their rice allowance for 2007 to 2010, on top of the original P80 million one-time economic package for members of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap).
The offer brought to P105-million the total economic package being offered to Fasap, Villaluna added.
She, however, said that approval of the package would depend on signing by PAL and Fasap of a final agreement that puts to rest all economic, gender and retirement issues under discussion.
“The offer was made in good faith, proof that PAL is sincere in its efforts to settle and finally put closure to its 2005 to 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement [CBA] with Fasap,” Villaluna said.
Despite significant strides during Wednesday’s five-hour talks between the PAL management and Fasap, according to the PAL spokesman, “sticky” points remained such as the compensation package and changes in the retirement age of the flag-carrier’s crew.
Villaluna said that PAL could only offer P105 million, the flag-carrier having suffered huge losses in the last two years.
She added that the flag-carrier was willing to change the retirement age to 45 from 40 for both male and female crew, on condition that Fasap agree to a mixed-crew complement—a work arrangement allowing younger cabin crew to fly international routes together with more senior attendants, and the senior crew taking domestic flight assignments.
PAL said that junior cabin attendants are well-trained and capable of serving international flights but provisions in their CBA prevent them from doing so.
Current work rules restricting the flight assignments of younger flight attendants were inserted in the previous CBA by Fasap itself.
Because of this insertion, Villaluna said, only senior cabin crew enjoys higher perks and per diems when they fly international routes.
“We want to introduce changes in the current work rules so that both young and senior cabin attendants can serve in domestic and international routes,” she added.
“PAL hopes that the union would agree to the proposed changes for the sake of the younger crew.
Otherwise, it would appear that some Fasap members are discriminating against their own kind,” Villaluna said.
When sought for comment, Andy Ortega, Fasap vice president, said, “PAL is muddling the issues. PAL’s request to allow younger cabin crew to fly international [routes] is another issue.”
What mattered more, Ortega added, was increasing cabin crew salary and raising the retirement age.
Fasap has a pending notice of strike before the Department of Labor and Employment and expects to go on strike by end-October.
The PAL Employment Association (Palea), meanwhile, has asked the Labor department to reject the planned mass retrenchment of its members.
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