Still no agreement in PAL labor row

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 09/15/2010

MANILA, Philippines—After seven hours of mediation talks, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) management and the association of flight attendants and cabin crew came up empty after both sides refused to back down on their original demands.

Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines vice president Andy Ortega, in a press briefing after the end of the first round of the talks at 4 p.m., said the union made a concession Tuesday to reduce their multiple disagreements on their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to just three: economic benefits, retirement age and the maternity and pregnancy leave concerns.
“The NCMB (National Conciliation and Mediation Board) really exerted their effort, they really want our deadlock to be resolved. They squeezed both sides. So we made the concession to just reduce talking points to just three, but their (management’s) positions (on those points) are the same as before,” Ortega said.

He said the PAL management representatives, led by PAL President Jaime Bautista, insisted on the company’s P80-million offer to the economic provisions of their old CBA with promises to address minimum wage distortions and rice allowance distortions.

The PAL officials were not available for comment. They did not give a press briefing.