PAL mulls raps vs AWOL pilots

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net First Posted 18:03:00 08/10/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine Airlines on Tuesday said it was studying the possibility of filing legal complaints against its pilots who have left without prior notice for higher paying jobs abroad.
In a statement, PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said that none of the 26 pilots who abruptly abandoned their posts have returned even as the flag carrier gave them seven days to come back without sanctions.

"It's apparent that these pilots already have commitments abroad and opted not to return," Bautista said.

In line with the company’s internal rules and regulations, Bautista said these pilots have been served notices to explain why they have failed to report for flight duty.

None of the pilots have responded to these notices as of yet, he said.
Nevertheless, Bautista again appealed to PAL’s disgruntled cabin crew to find peaceful means to solve the impasse.

“Let's find a peaceful solution to our internal problems for the sake of the flying public,” he said.
Bautista also appealed to members of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) to reconsider their threats of filing a notice of strike.

He said negotiations are still ongoing before the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), where FASAP members could ventilate their grievances instead of threatening to go on strike.
The next meeting between PAL management and FASAP officers is scheduled for August 17 before the NCMB.

Bautista also said that PAL is experiencing “financial difficulty,” that’s why it could only offer an P80 million one-time package to FASAP to close their negotiations for the 2005-2010 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

“PAL was hit hard by the global economic recession and slowdown in travel just like the other airlines around the world. We could not afford at the moment what they are asking, but to show our good faith and sincerity in addressing their concerns, we offered the P80 million one-time package to be divided among FASAP members,” he said.