PAL domestic cabin crew welcomes mgmt proposal

Business Mirror
September 30, 2010

Domestic cabin crew of Philippine Airlines (PAL) yesterday welcomes the management’s proposal for mixed crew assignments during ongoing mediation talks between PAL and the Flight Attendants’ and Stewards’ Association of the Philippines (FASAP) at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Several PAL cabin attendants flying domestic routes said the mixed crew assignment -- which would allow younger crew members to fly international alongside their more senior counterparts -- means additional productivity pay, per diems and other allowances.

PAL proposed the mixed crew complement as a precondition to raising the retirement age of crew members to 45 from 40.

"Even before I became a PAL flight attendant, it was my dream to fly international; to see other countries and enjoy the perks of flying international," said Sheila (not her real name), who was hired by PAL soon after graduation from an exclusive girls school.

The mix-crew assignment proposed by PAL management would enable new flight attendants, who are initially assigned to domestic flights, to fly international alongside those with longer years of service. The work rule would also allow senior crew to take on domestic flight assignments.

Both new and senior cabin crew undergo recurrent training with strict standards on the level of service they perform inflight. A younger cabin crew would need at least two to three weeks of additional training and familiarization with aircraft and equipment before she can fly international.

"We believe that our training allows us to serve on international flights. We know our role as safety officers and we also have complete training on both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft," she said.

The cabin crew union and PAL’s international flight attendants are resisting the mix-crew rule because of the additional perks that the crew receives on long-haul flights. PAL, however, assured its international crew members that there will be no reduction in their international flight assignments nor will there be a reduction of their salaries and benefits even if they also serve in domestic routes.

The young PAL flight attendant said she hopes FASAP will accept the mix-crew rule proposed by management to end the discrimination by the older crew against their younger colleagues.

"After all, we are all crew members dreaming of better opportunities and pay," Sheila said, adding that it pains them so see senior colleagues whom they look up to like older brothers and sisters, who tries to block their chances for professional growth. "It’s ironic that our own union -- who accuses management of discrimination, are the ones guilty of the same offense," she added.