By Paolo Montecillo, Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:23:00 12/08/2010
MANILA, Philippines—Ground employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL), the country’s flag carrier, Tuesday voted to stage a strike as they brought pressure on the Malacañang-brokered talks to resolve a dispute over the company’s outsourcing and retrenchment plans.
“We’re getting strong support from our members. The vote has been very orderly and we will announce the (official) result (Wednesday),” said Gerry Rivera, president of the PAL Employees Association (PALEA).
An initial union report showed 80 percent in favor of the strike.
Rivera said votes coming from the company’s provincial stations, such as Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa cities, showed that 80 percent of union members favored the strike.
In the call center reservations at the PNB Building on Macapagal Avenue in Makati City, an 84-percent turnout was reported, with 86 percent voting yes.
PALEA has a membership of over 3,700, about 2,800 of whom are based in Manila.
Palace mediation
Malacañang had earlier advised PALEA to wait for the result of its review of the Department of Labor and Employment’s decision to uphold the validity of PAL’s spin-off plans.
The airline, which has already swung to profitability, wants to retrench 2,600 employees to cut costs after suffering massive losses in the last two years.
In Pangasinan province, President Benigno Aquino III Tuesday said he had ordered Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa to talk with both management and union to iron out differences following the strike vote.
“My understanding quite a few weeks ago was that they were already closer to resolving the issues,” the President told reporters in Bani town, where he distributed titles to housing units for families displaced by past typhoons.
“It seems there had been some miscommunication. Things that should have been transmitted to the other party were not done. So (Ochoa) is taking care of that,” he added.
PAL statement
In a statement, PAL welcomed the presidential directive for Ochoa to mediate in the dispute.
“PAL appreciates President Aquino’s concern and desire to put closure to the PAL-PALEA dispute,” Cielo Villaluna, the company spokesperson, said.
“Like the President, PAL believes that the public deserves a quick resolution to this issue so as not to further cause anxiety to thousands of passengers who have already firmed up their holiday travel plans,” she added.
The strike vote is the next step in the legal process leading to an actual work stoppage. PALEA, which represents the bulk of the airline’s rank-and-file employees, earlier filed a notice of strike in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz Tuesday said PALEA should submit the result of its strike vote to Malacañang.
She said the labor row was now in the hands of Malacañang after PALEA appealed her decision allowing a company outsourcing.
“Holding a strike vote is their decision and we respect that but there is no more (labor) case at the DOLE,” she said.
On Monday, Baldoz said she had directed National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) Executive Director Reynaldo Ubaldo to submit “all the records of the case” to the Palace for its decision.
“Factually, legally and technically, there is no more notice of strike with (the Department of Labor and Employment) and the NCMB. It has been subsumed in their appeal to Malacañang,” she said.
Legal justification
Villaluna said PAL lawyers were questioning the legality and propriety of the strike vote.
“It’s not a question of how many yes or no votes were cast by PALEA members; the issue is whether or not there is a legal justification for such a referendum. PAL believes there is none,” she said.
“There are no winners in a strike: the economy, the airline, its workers and, most importantly, the riding public, are all losers in a labor strike,” she added.
Rivera insisted that the vote was meant to be a “threat” to pressure the government into coming up with a ruling favoring the employees.
“In form, the strike vote is simply an exercise of the freedom of speech. We want to gauge the sentiments of PALEA members. More than that, the strike vote is also a requirement of the law. So how can it be illegal and inappropriate?” he said.
Rivera said the issues being tackled in Malacañang and the justification for the strike were separate but related cases. The strike is in protest of PAL’s bargaining with individual employees, illegally bypassing the union, he said.
Holiday travelers
The airline apologized for the “inconvenience and anxiety” caused by recent news reports about the planned strike. “Please be assured that PAL is exhausting all legal avenues to avert a work stoppage,” Villaluna said.
She said it was business as usual at PAL and assured passengers, especially those flying in and out of the country during the holidays, that the airline was exerting all efforts to prevent flight disruptions. “All flights continue to operate normally according to published schedules,” she said.
She urged PAL passengers to come to the airport at least two hours before their departure time to avoid long queues and other inconveniences.
“With heavy traffic, the huge volume of passengers and tighter security checks as the holiday season nears, we would like to request our passengers to devote enough lead time when going to the airport,” she said.
“Please ensure that tickets and all travel documents are in order prior to approaching the check in counters,” she added.
Those who have inquiries may call the PAL reservation hotline at 855-8888 or visit the airline’s website at www.philippineairlines.com.ph. With a report from Philip C. Tubeza
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